Global Fog Survival

So, Li Hang and the others were now primarily discussing designing larger caliber weapons. There were also viewpoints about why they had to use firearms, but those were quickly dismissed.

The concept of the battle axe had become deeply ingrained.

Of course, some suggested that after a week of no results, they should hold off and wait until they had more blueprints to create a complete set, using each blueprint for a different component.

That would basically solve most problems.

After all, the items they could currently make, whether cold or hot weapons, were quite mediocre.

Far less effective than barrels of explosives weighing one pound, ten pounds, or even a hundred pounds.

At this moment, after listening to Li Hang’s brief report, Colin, while basking in the reviving wind, thought for a moment and replied:

“You can consider holding off for now. I’ll see if there’s a chance to get new blueprints next…

“However, it’s best to make a few backup blueprints to accumulate war potential, so at critical moments, we can instantly leverage their value…”

They could indeed hold off for now, but they couldn’t do nothing.

When danger comes, they must squeeze every ounce of their resources and value for the future, with no reservations.

“Got it. By the way, boss, what did you need us for?” Li Hang replied.

“‘Bloodthirsty Stigma Copies,’ you guys can run some tests on them…”

“Great stuff!”

Seeing this message, Li Hang’s eyes lit up. In the hall, which had been converted into a simple meeting room, a bunch of people gathered around, chattering excitedly as they looked at the scroll.

Then, Colin shared his ideas, such as “adopting” a batch of mutants and making efficient use of resources…

As he spoke, everyone on Li Hang’s end stared at the information on the “screen” with strange expressions, silent for a while.

They imagined the “Bloodthirsty Stigma” as a relentless killing machine fueled by bloodlust…

But Colin clearly had different views.

These views differed slightly from theirs.

Finally, someone couldn’t help but say, “As expected of Colin, very pragmatic…”

Meanwhile, Colin, while talking, suddenly imagined a scene, and his expression became odd—

In a battle, an injured servant carrying a bloody axe walked towards the building housing mutants.

At the entrance, a long queue formed, with each person bearing various degrees of injuries, from minor to severe.

The severely wounded were prioritized for treatment. “Medical” personnel helped them wear the “Bloodthirsty Stigma,” tied explosives to an mutant’s arm, and lit the fuse…

Then, from behind some protective measures, the severely injured patient lying on a bed shakily reached out to ignite the gunpowder…

Soon after, there was a boom, and the wounds began to heal.

“…Hiss, why do I feel like the art style of my territory is starting to go off track?”

Colin took a deep breath, then shook his head to dispel these distracting thoughts.

On second thought…

It’s not entirely unfeasible.

After all, Colin was a pragmatist. As long as it didn’t cross his bottom line, he had no qualms.

With nothing more to discuss, he closed the parchment.

After resting for a while to regain his strength, Colin led his team out of the cave.

By now, they had been in the underground church for four hours, with no major incidents.

Upon exiting the cave, Colin couldn’t help but pause, feeling an unspeakable dread as he looked at the eerie and hideous olive trees.

Especially since he was standing where all the olive trees faced, hundreds of twisted, elongated tree faces stared at them, making the scene even more chilling.

However, due to Kimino’s influence, these strange living trees no longer harbored hostility towards them.

Even so, the numerous hidden eyes still felt unsettling.

After a while, Colin, carrying a lantern, led the team past the olive trees. With only the occasional sound of stepping on branches and leaves, they finally reached the forest’s edge.

“We’re here…”

The forest edge was surrounded by a cold, eerie white fog. Compared to Colin’s first encounter, it seemed thinner now, less dense.

But it still held an air of mystery, making people uneasy.

【You notice it seems much weaker. You guess this time it might not transport you too far away, but it could still scatter you into different areas.】

“Continue from last time and move in an orderly queue.”

Soon, the team formed a long line, hand in hand, and entered the fog under Sanna’s lead.

As the last person stepped into the fog, they experienced a brief moment of weightlessness, the dense white fog obscuring everything from view…

Then came the same chaos, the same feeling of walking in place, feet off the ground…

After an indeterminate amount of time, Colin and his team felt their feet touch solid ground again.

Their vision gradually cleared from the blinding whiteness.

As they fully emerged from the mist and took in their surroundings, Colin frowned.

“Another forest?”

Colin realized this was yet another forest, but after using the hints, he found it seemed to be just an ordinary forest with no olive trees.

The trees here were much like those outside, all withered and leafless.

Compared to the previously haunted feeling of the olive trees, this place was deathly silent.

But this silence was familiar to them, as the world under the mist was like this, giving them a slight sense of… security.

After all, this was what they were most accustomed to.

The ground was still dotted with “Condensed Light Stones,” so the area wasn’t dark.

However, something else caught everyone’s attention.

Colin looked up slightly and saw, in the distant horizon beyond the mountain silhouettes, a part of the dark sky illuminated by something.

It seemed there was a massive light source under the mountains.

【The pure, all-repelling light illuminates that place. You believe that’s where the High Court is, and you’re on the right path.】

【But it seems far away, requiring a long journey.】

“Whew…”

Colin breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the path was correct, the distance didn’t matter.

Then, Colin snapped his fingers, and everyone quickly returned to their positions, forming a defensive formation.

After retracting his gaze from the distance, Colin focused entirely on the surrounding forest, his mind racing, using the hints to gather information…

Eventually, Colin confirmed there was no immediate danger nearby, but moving forward was uncertain.

“Number One, count the people and see if anyone is missing.”

“Yes!”

One, two, three… twenty-five people…

Number One counted carefully with his fingers and reported:

“Lord, everyone’s accounted for!”