Chapter 56

After the dark disaster that had erupted and swallowed a large swathe of land two days prior, it seemed to have come to a standstill, ceasing its advance.

The inexplicable darkness was eventually named the "Dark Disaster" by the players.

Although it appeared to have stopped, the dinosaurs were still fleeing at an accelerated pace. Based on this, the players deduced that the Dark Disaster would erupt again.

Otherwise, the dinosaurs wouldn't be in such a frantic rush.

During their subsequent journey, they rarely encountered attacks from carnivorous predators. It was as if everyone had reached a consensus, heads down, hurrying along. Occasionally catching small animals like rabbits and wild deer was the most they could manage.

"I found traces of player activity over there, but it looks like they've left."

That evening, they stopped to rest again, following their usual routine of gathering water, hunting, and collecting wild fruits. In the nearby woods, they discovered simple treehouses built in several large trees.

Although crudely constructed, some initially mistook them for large bird nests. However, upon seeing a fire pit and some basic tools, they confirmed that someone had lived there.

Counting them carefully, there were several, suggesting that at least a dozen players had gathered together to live.

"That's for sure. Anyone who isn't blind can see that the other animals are on the move. They have no reason to stay."

They couldn't deny being happy to find out that there were other players living so far away.

Although they were gone now, the houses were clean and tidy, with no signs of fighting or struggle. It was clear that their departure wasn't forced by an attack.

But in an instant, they couldn't help but worry about what had happened to these players.

Living here seemed safe, but what about after they left, on the road?

However, even their worries couldn't stop their continued migration.

Just as they had guessed, the Dark Disaster erupted again, this time devouring an even larger area. Almost half of the visible world was swallowed up.

"I wonder when this thing will stop wreaking havoc?"

After this eruption, the dinosaurs' migration speed slowed down noticeably. That evening, they ate grass and drank water more slowly than before. Later, they lay down as if resting, no longer in a hurry to move on. This gave Mingmei and the others a rare opportunity to rest on the ground.

Leaning against the flexible tail of an adult dinosaur, like resting against a pillow, Mingmei stared blankly at the dark mass in the distance, so out of place against the deep blue sky above.

"I wonder where the end is?"

"Who knows? Hopefully, the dire beasts can escape to a safe place," several girls murmured, lying in a row and gazing at the distance.

Mingmei turned her head to look at Mu Chen, who was standing with Lu Gui and the others not far away, talking. Seeing that the expressions on their faces weren't relaxed, it was obvious they were discussing serious matters.

But Mingmei silently withdrew her gaze and continued to lie there, being a salted fish.

Her mother was right.

Meetings were the source of all evil, requiring a lot of brainpower and saliva.

They could end up talking for ages without coming to any useful conclusions.

…

"How long have you been talking?"

When it was her turn to take over the night watch, Mingmei woke up. She turned her head and saw that Mu Chen hadn't slept. He was sitting beside her, holding the animal skin blanket that she had been sleeping on, as if to cover her.

"Just finished."

Mu Chen said, unable to stop himself from sighing, "We didn't come to any useful conclusions."

Mingmei: …

So it was true.

"What did you talk about?"

Sitting up, Mingmei felt for the bamboo tube beside her, which still contained water, and offered it to Mu Chen's lips.

"We were discussing where the dire beasts are migrating to, and whether we should follow them to their destination. You know, although dire beasts don't really have a habit of living in large groups, their habitats are often surrounded by many different kinds of dire beasts."

"Are you worried that we won't die on the road, but will be attacked by other carnivorous dire beasts when we reach our destination?"

"Yes." Mu Chen nodded. "Some people think that unless we reach our destination, we won't know where the Dark Disaster will erupt next. We don't have the keen senses of other animals. What if we leave too early and end up being swallowed by the disaster anyway?"

"That's a valid concern."

"And others think that if we really reach our destination, not all dire beasts will be as easy to get along with as the ones we're with now.

"When we leave, we'll have to spend time finding a new place to stay, and avoid other dire beasts in the process. If there's a conflict and blood is shed, it will be difficult for our group to escape, and we don't know how many people we'll be able to save."

Mingmei listened for a while, then looked up at Mu Chen and asked, "What about you? What do you think?"

"Me?" Mu Chen tilted his head, smiled, and looked at Mingmei. "What do you say?"

"I'm just a salted fish. You're making it too difficult for me." Mingmei wouldn't fall for that.

In fact, her idea was simple.

First, follow the dinosaurs and see how things go. If there really are more and more dinosaurs along the way, then they can consider "jumping ship" midway.

If they don't see any particularly ferocious dinosaurs along the way, then following them to the end wouldn't be a bad idea.

She was curious about Mu Chen's choice.

"I choose to go all the way down one path."

"Hmm?" Mingmei raised an eyebrow, not expecting Mu Chen's answer to be like this. "I didn't think you were that kind of person!"

"Really?"

Mu Chen smiled and quietly moved closer to Mingmei. Mingmei leaned back to avoid him. There were people all around. It wasn't a good time to be lovey-dovey!

"I smell the scent of a salted fish."

"Are you implying something about me?"

"No, it's in the air. Don't you think… the air has been a little humid and hot lately, with a hint of the sea?"

"Is there?"

Mingmei suspiciously twitched her nose, but didn't smell what Mu Chen was talking about.

Seeing Mingmei like this, Mu Chen couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"You're teasing me…"

She lowered her voice to question Mu Chen, but he suddenly waved his hand and said, "No, no. I saw seashells at the treehouses where we found those players living."

"Seashells?"

Mingmei was stunned for a moment before immediately understanding what he meant.

"Yes, they may have been to the coast." Mu Chen said softly, then glanced at the huge dinosaurs behind him and added, "At least, we're not too far from the sea."

"My God? Are you guessing that they can…?"

Mingmei subconsciously looked at the feet of the dinosaurs lying down behind her.

She examined the dinosaur feet, which she had never paid close attention to before, very carefully this time.

The exposed half of the foot was very thick, and something that surprised her greatly—the exposed front end of the foot seemed to have not fully degenerated webbed toes?