Chapter 164: Arriving at Huaxia Base

Chapter 164: Chapter 164: Arriving at Huaxia Base

Shi Zhile immediately opened the picture. After zooming in, she clearly saw a thin layer of frost on the inner stone wall.

In case Shi Zhile didn’t believe him, Sun Ci also sent a video.

In the video, he scraped the frost off with his fingernail and placed it in his palm. The frost melted into water in just a moment.

Shi Zhile told the others about this phenomenon. "The stone houses were already cooler than the wooden ones. Now, with the temperature dropping sharply, the water level rising, and frost appearing, it’s highly likely we’re about to have a sudden, massive temperature drop."

"Once the ocean freezes over, the temperature is bound to plummet to an unprecedented low. Players will die off in massive numbers. And when the survivors’ bodies finally adapt to the cold, they’ll start fighting over resources."

’The player death toll is already well over fifty percent. If we just let this continue, humanity will genuinely face extinction.’

She paused for a moment. "Let’s use the Summon Order. Some things are too inconvenient to discuss over video. We need to talk in person."

’Although the two spaces and the Primitive Forest aren’t necessarily safe either, it at least feels much more secure than communicating so openly through the system.’

Jiang Jing: "Now? The base needs to be managed, and the two base leaders are tied up."

Shi Zhile: "You don’t need to come over. We’ll go to the base.

"What do you think? Is it possible for you to use a Summon Order to bring me—and this entire island—over to you?"

’Using a Summon Order to travel to Huaxia Base would mean leaving Stone Island behind for three days. Plus, Sun Ci and his people are on the island. If they all left and someone broke into the shelter, I wouldn’t be able to get back in time.’

She continued, "Whether it works or not, let’s give it a try. Clear a space for Stone Island near your base, and let me know when you’re ready."

After ending the video call, Shi Zhile and her group got busy.

Half an hour later, after the four of them discussed their plan, they decided that aside from Mr. Wen, who would enter the Planting Space, everyone else would remain on the island.

Shi Zhile received a message from Jiang Jing and immediately sent him three Summon Orders, adding, "Don’t try to skimp. If one Summon Order isn’t enough, use two."

Jiang Jing replied, "Got it!"

A moment later, just as the three of them were thinking it had failed, Stone Island began to tremble slightly. The tremors grew increasingly violent, and then Stone Island instantly vanished from the surface of the sea.

After another moment, the island finally stabilized.

Shi Zhile loosened her grip on the windowsill and peered out through the rain and mist. The area to the due south, near the coast, was pitch-black.

Shi Zhiyi steadied herself and immediately checked on Shi Zhile and Wen Bai. Once she confirmed they were both unharmed, she took out a pair of binoculars to look out the window.

"The rain is too heavy, but I can faintly make out the silhouettes of buildings outside. Let’s go take a look."

Shi Zhile opened her map first. On the sea chart, Stone Island and Huaxia Base were now linked together.

She expended a bit of her Spirit Value to nudge Stone Island slightly to one side.

"Come on, let’s go see."

The three of them quickly threw on their raincoats and headed toward the shore, braving the downpour.

Just as they left the shelter, Shi Zhile received a video call request from Sun Ci.

She quickly answered, and Tang Yan’s voice immediately came through.

"Was that an earthquake just now? Are you all right?"

Shi Zhile: "It wasn’t an earthquake. You guys can head to the South Sea Coast. We’re at Huaxia Base."

Tang Yan: "...What? Where are we?"

Shi Zhile: "Huaxia Base!"

A clamor of voices instantly erupted on the other end, audible through the video feed.

Sun Ci cut in with, "We’re on our way," and promptly ended the call.

The group of more than a dozen people rushed over, finally reaching the shore just behind Shi Zhile’s trio.

Rain lashed their faces, quickly blurring their vision.

Shi Zhile took out a pair of swimming goggles and put them on. Sheltered from the rain, she could finally see the scene before her clearly.

An island so vast its edges were out of sight lay right next to Stone Island, with a gap of ten-odd meters between them.

The perimeter of the base’s island was enclosed by towering stone walls, completely blocking the view inward.

At that moment, dozens of figures were standing in a line on the shore of Huaxia Base. Each one stood ramrod straight, letting the rain soak them.

Before Shi Zhile could say anything, Jiang Jing’s voice called out from the other side, "Zhile?"

Shi Zhile answered him, then took out her large sailboat and led her group across.

The gap was so narrow that the length of the sailboat was enough to bridge the two islands, making sailing unnecessary.

The moment she stepped onto the base, Shi Zhile immediately retracted the sailboat.

Jiang Jing came forward to greet them. After a few pleasantries, he got straight to the point.

"There are a lot of players on the base, and that commotion just now definitely caught their attention. The base leader has posted guards here specifically to stop anyone from trying to board Stone Island."

As the person ranked first on the resource leaderboards, Shi Zhile couldn’t possibly keep all her supplies in just her backpack and storage space.

Posting guards here served two purposes: first, to stop players from forcing their way onto Stone Island for supplies, and second, to ensure the base’s security in case the island’s sudden appearance attracted any undersea monsters.

Jiang Jing was being upfront to prevent Shi Zhile from getting the wrong idea and thinking the base wanted to imprison her.

Shi Zhile nodded. "I understand."

She glanced at the people behind Jiang Jing. They were wearing straw rain capes and hats, but the downpour was so heavy that their clothes were mostly soaked through. After a moment’s thought, she took out a sufficient number of raincoats and handed them all to Jiang Jing.

"Thanks for your hard work. Please hand these out to them. It’s just a small token of my appreciation."

Jiang Jing didn’t stand on ceremony. He took the raincoats and distributed them all.

Sun Ci and his people, who had no rain gear, were still getting drenched. Jiang Jing didn’t linger; he motioned for Shi Zhile’s group to follow him as he spoke.

"Leave this area to them. I guarantee no players will get onto Stone Island. The base leader is waiting in the conference room, so let’s head over."

Shi Zhile walked alongside him. Jiang Jing lowered his voice and asked, "If I’m not mistaken, those are Sun Ci’s people, right? How did they all end up on Stone Island? Did you recruit them?"

’Stone Island is pretty big,’ Jiang Jing thought. ’Shi Zhile must need people to help patrol. If Sun Ci’s group has already joined her, I have to let the base leader know ahead of time.’

Shi Zhile shook her head. "They drifted to Stone Island from the open sea. With the rain this heavy, I couldn’t just watch them die by kicking them off the island.

"It also happened to be a good chance to test if the island could be moved with a Summon Order, so I brought them along with it."

Only after following Jiang Jing through two sets of gates did they truly enter Huaxia Base proper.

Inside the high-walled compound, the easternmost side was filled with dozens of three- and four-story concrete buildings.

The westernmost side was a large plot of cleared farmland. Whatever had been planted there was long gone; now, only withered yellow leaves drooped to the ground, plastered to the mud by the beating rain.

The path underfoot was paved with gravel. The deeper they went, the stricter the security became. Every so often, they would see patrols in pairs, all wearing straw rain capes.

As they neared one of the smaller buildings, Jiang Jing stopped and turned to Sun Ci and his group. "You all can go inside to get out of the rain. Someone will be by to register you shortly."

When they reached the next courtyard wall, Shi Zhile’s group was stopped outside the main gate.

Jiang Jing presented a token, and a small door around the corner quickly opened.