life copy game

Chapter 1779 Strange Beasts (Long Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

The dim lights pierced through the mountain paths, and the off-road vehicle, under the cover of night, glided slowly forward along the winding riverbank, across the shallow water.

Accompanied by the tranquil, dark water, the rushing sound echoed through the ancient and secluded forest.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in simple casual clothes, followed behind the speeding SUV. He walked slowly, as if strolling leisurely across the edge of the riverbank.

Even so, he maintained a similar distance to the SUV, closely following behind it.

He Ao raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the bright crescent moon in the sky, then lowered his head to look at the gurgling river at his feet.

The river is flanked by mountain valleys, and the current is very rapid. It seems to be the high-water season now, and most of the surrounding riverbanks are covered by the current. Although the water is not deep, it still has a strong current and covers the dark and unclear areas in the waterway ahead.

If it were winter, during the dry season, when the river is frozen, this road would probably be much easier to travel.

However, it is currently the high-water season, so it is essential to have someone very familiar with the road conditions as a guide. It is best to travel during the day to ensure safety and minimize the risk of accidents on the river.

He looked up and glanced at the off-road vehicle speeding forward, its lights shining brightly.

Clearly, the driver of this off-road vehicle was very familiar with the road, so much so that even in the dim light of night, he could still quickly navigate the riverbed and precisely find every spot where the wheels could touch the ground.

He Ao continued slowly forward along the narrow river, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding mountains.

When traveling in the wilderness, most of the time, the danger does not come from the darkness of the road itself, but from other living dangers, such as the powerful beasts lurking in the mountains, deserts, and valleys.

This road is probably not a fixed trade route. Such trade routes are explored over decades or even centuries, allowing people to roughly figure out the boundaries of various powerful alien beast forces and thus avoid attacks to the greatest extent possible.

Furthermore, the Federation regularly issues cleanup missions, requiring the consortium's mercenary groups to clear trade routes and ensure their continued passage.

The core trade routes that these conglomerate mercenary groups mainly follow, and the mercenary groups themselves also clear out the alien beasts on the trade routes. This is one of the reasons why the Federation initially permitted conglomerates to own mercenary groups.

Outside the cities and high walls, some organized 'private armed forces' play a significant role in ensuring federal transportation and logistics, and assume some social responsibility.

The small path that He Ao is now walking on is clearly not one of those trade routes.

This kind of road should be a temporary 'road' that maintains a certain stability for a certain period of time.

The reason for this stability is generally...
He Ao raised his head and looked at the mountain peak to his left, where a faint light was illuminating the summit.

Like eyes gleaming in the dark night, sweeping across the night sky.

······
"Has this road always been here?" The woman sat in the passenger seat, her seatbelt fastened, holding her child in her arms, nervously staring into the darkness ahead as the vehicle jolted along.

“Of course not. This road only appeared last year, and very few people know about it,” the gaunt figure in the driver’s seat said as he drove the vehicle over a puddle, splashing water droplets. “It was us guys who often wander around outside who figured out this road. Only we know this road, and we use it to transport some special goods.”

"We're setting off tonight. Are there any strange beasts around here?" The woman reached out and grabbed the handrail inside the carriage, asking cautiously, "We're usually attacked when we travel on these off-trade routes, aren't we?"

Then she seemed to understand something and quickly said, "Is it because the powerful beasts around here died? Is that why this area is so quiet?"

"What are you thinking?" The gaunt figure sneered, gripping the steering wheel tightly. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and put it in his mouth. "On the contrary, it is precisely because a powerful beast has come to this area, and a very, very powerful one at that, that such a quiet and peaceful road has appeared."

"Huh?" The woman was slightly taken aback. "Why?"

“You’re not familiar enough with this wilderness,” the gaunt figure sneered. “If you and your children were dead, would your house just sit there empty?”

"Will other relatives inherit it?" The woman hesitated for a moment, then said slowly, "If no relatives come, it will probably be seized by the camp bullies."

“That’s the point,” the gaunt figure chuckled, holding the steering wheel with one hand and sticking his cigarette butt out the window. “You know that if a house dies, someone will come and take it. It’s the same in the wilderness. If the overlord of one place dies, then the overlords of other places, or the strange beasts that live in this place, will come and take it.”

He continued, a cigarette dangling from his lips, "The beasts are all animals. They are far more chaotic than our camp. Their struggles are purely about killing and attacking, so these battles will last for a long time. At the beginning, the intensity is very high, and you can see fighting everywhere."

"The intensity will decrease later, but it will still be full of strong aggression. During this stage, all the beasts in the area are very sensitive. If anything goes wrong, they will attack directly. All caravans or pedestrians passing by will be attacked."

"If that were the case, there wouldn't be this path at all; we'd be surrounded by easily frightened and ferocious beasts."

"Will those strange beasts continue to run rampant?" the woman asked curiously.

“How is that possible?” The gaunt figure raised an eyebrow slightly. “If they continue to kill each other like this, no matter how many beasts live in this wilderness, they will all die out. After the intense period of tension, the beasts will maintain a certain balance until a new overlord appears and reigns supreme over this area again.”

He turned the steering wheel, leading the vehicle into the forest beside him, "or maintain this balance until all the beasts get used to it, and a new, stable forest order will be born."

"Then what about this path?" the woman asked cautiously. "Has a new balance been formed?"

“No, neither is true,” the gaunt figure shook his head. He cautiously raised his head and glanced at the mountain peak to his left. The peak stood in the darkness, piercing the clouds, exuding a suffocating sense of terror.

The gaunt figure shrank his head slightly, a deep fear flashing in his eyes. Then he turned back and continued, "A new, powerful foreign overlord has arrived here, directly suppressing all the surrounding beasts, making them afraid to make a sound, and creating a new order."

He swallowed hard and continued, "Only in this way can we find some safe paths under this new order, paths that allow us to pass through smoothly. Only in this way can we create paths that have never existed before, but now exist."

"Is it safe for us to take this route?" The woman nodded as if she understood, then asked.

“Not safe,” the gaunt figure said casually.

The woman paused for a moment, then instinctively hugged the child in her arms tighter and gripped the car door handle.

The gaunt figure seemed oblivious to her movements, his hands on the steering wheel, gazing at the deep forest ahead, and continued, "We don't know what this new wilderness overlord in the vicinity wants to do, or what its habits are. These powerful beasts are very intelligent, and their personalities are hard to fathom."

"Its change may happen in an instant. This road is passable now because it suppresses the surrounding beasts, preventing them from coming near and attacking us who are just passing by."

He seemed to remember something and paused, "But suddenly one day, or even in a moment, it might attack passersby or bring other strange beasts over. Right now, all we can say is that we've had no problem walking this road for the past few months, but we're not sure if it will always be fine."

"What if that powerful beast starts attacking us?" the woman asked cautiously, shrinking back.

“There’s no other way,” the gaunt figure shook his head and said calmly, “Just wait to die.”

Upon hearing this, the woman paused slightly. She looked up at the gaunt figure with a somewhat blank expression, then lowered her head again.

"What, I told you this road is dangerous," the gaunt figure glanced at her and said casually, "Now you regret it?"

“No regrets,” the woman smiled, glancing down at the sleeping child in her arms, and whispered, “Actually, the camp isn’t any safer than the wilderness. From what you’ve said, if you figure out the patterns of the beasts in the wilderness, it doesn’t seem that dangerous. And even if you encounter danger, it’s just death.”

She looked up at the somewhat wide road ahead, "The thoughts of the beasts are actually much purer than those of the human heart."

Upon hearing her words, the gaunt figure paused for a moment and then fell silent.

He simply stared at the road ahead, his brows furrowing slightly.

"What's wrong?" The woman noticed his change and instinctively gripped the doorknob nervously. "Has that beast overlord really changed his mind?"

click -

The gaunt figure slammed on the brakes, and with a violent jolt, the SUV came to a stop.

Amidst the violent tremors, the child in the woman's arms blinked and quickly began to wake up, opening its mouth as if about to cry.

"Baby, be good, baby..." the woman quickly rocked the child to prevent him from crying.
Meanwhile, the gaunt figure in the driver's seat had already opened the car door and jumped out.

The woman hurriedly calmed the child down, then opened the car door, jumped out, and walked to the gaunt figure.

The gaunt figure had already pulled out a small flashlight, shining the light on the ground in front of him.

"Is it the trace of some terrifying beast?" The woman shook the child and quickly approached.

“They’re tire tracks,” the gaunt figure said, looking at the slightly muddy road ahead. “The soil here has become looser; it rained a couple of days ago, making it easier to leave tracks. There are many tire tracks; many trucks have passed through here. It looks like some kind of special convoy.”

He walked forward, shone his flashlight on one of the wide and deep tire tracks, and said slowly, "Ordinary trucks can't leave tire tracks like this. This must be an armed vehicle in the convoy, and the kind equipped with a mobile electromagnetic cannon."

He shone his flashlight a few more times, looking at the tire tracks around him. "And it wasn't just one vehicle; it was a fully armed convoy. But normally, this convoy wouldn't be in danger on the regular trade routes. Why did they take this back road? Were they in a hurry?"

"What do you mean?" The woman looked up at the gaunt figure and asked in a low voice, "Didn't you say that only a few of you knew about this road and that only a few of you could drive it?"

“Yes,” the gaunt figure nodded, putting away his flashlight and glancing at the dim night around him. He casually remarked, “So, someone betrayed us and secretly told the convoy outside about this road.”

He walked back towards the SUV and said, "We can't use this road anymore. Don't tell anyone, and don't come here again."

"What do you mean?" The woman hesitated before following the gaunt figure. "Don't you people get along?"

“We have a good relationship,” the gaunt figure said casually as he stopped in front of the driver’s side door, opened it, and said, “But as you said, the human heart is far more complicated than the beasts in the wilderness.”

As he spoke, he shook his head, "I should have sold it first; maybe I could have gotten a better price."

The woman lowered her head and walked to the passenger seat. She turned her gaze to the towering mountains around her, trying to change the subject, "It seems there really aren't any strange beasts around here. The new overlord has occupied such a vast area that even these places dare not have any strange beasts coming here?"

“This is just the core area,” the gaunt figure climbed onto the vehicle. “There are no strange beasts around here. You’ll only encounter them as you go further out.”

The woman, carrying the child, climbed into the car and closed the door. Hearing the gaunt figure's words, she widened her eyes in surprise, "We're still not out of the core area? This core area is so big? What must that beast overlord look like?"

“Based on our previous deductions,” the gaunt figure started the vehicle again and casually remarked, “that beast is probably still with us.”

"What do you mean?" The woman was startled and immediately grabbed the doorknob.

"You've never been here before, have you?" the gaunt figure continued to ask.

“There are many strange beasts here, it’s quite dangerous,” the woman shook her head. “I’ve never been this way before.”

Upon hearing this, the gaunt figure started the vehicle fully, turned his head, and looked out the window. "Do you see that mountain peak on the left?"

The woman followed the path of the slimming video and saw the towering peak that stood among the mountains. It seemed that their route had been circling around this mountain. With some speculation, she said, "Is that strange beast on that peak?"

“No,” the gaunt figure stepped on the gas, “there was no such mountain here before.”

The woman paused for a moment, then gripped the doorknob tightly.

······
At that moment, at the edge of their vision, atop the towering mountain, a gleaming eyeball was lighting up in the darkness.

It stared at the white-haired old man in front of it, who was huddled in the dark cave, his eyes tense and cautious.