Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Inside, Huo Xiuxiu was studying an ancient map spread out. The map was covered in complex symbols and winding routes, seemingly hiding some secret. It looked like she had drawn it by hand. Seeing the three people come in, she spoke with a hint of dissatisfaction before Zhang Shi and the others could say anything.

"What on earth has targeted you? I've been staying in this cabin for so long without any problems, and you've only been here for a day, and your home has been raided."

Zhao Feng didn't expect Huo Xiuxiu to be the first to complain, so he immediately retorted.

"You're afraid too, but you deliberately let that three-headed monster escape. You could have pried some useful information out of it."

Huo Xiuxiu glanced at him and explained slowly.

"The darkness of this foggy world is far more dangerous than you can imagine. Even I can't guarantee I can escape unscathed. If the person behind the three-headed monster doesn't want to lose this chess piece, he'll have to make some moves. As for me, I've already left some marks on it..."

After hearing what Huo Xiuxiu said, Zhao Feng also understood the interests involved. His expression changed immediately and he smiled and flattered her.

"I was saying it, with Miss Huo's skills, how could she fail? It turns out she had this plan all along. Brilliant, truly brilliant!"

Huo Xiuxiu ignored Zhao Feng's flattery, only smiled softly and continued to focus on the map. Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong stood aside, silently observing the mysterious map, trying to find some clues.

"What do the symbols on this map mean?" Ge Dalong finally couldn't help but ask.

Huo Xiuxiu looked up at him and explained, "These symbols represent different areas and danger levels in the foggy world. Red areas represent extreme danger, yellow represents danger, and blue represents relative safety. We are currently at the edge of this blue area."

Zhang Shi looked at the map carefully and found that many places they had visited before were indeed marked on the map. He couldn't help but admire Huo Xiuxiu's mapping ability.

"So what should we do next?" Zhao Feng also leaned closer to the map and asked anxiously.

Huo Xiuxiu pointed to a yellow area on the map and said, "This is where we're passing today. I plan to cross this dangerous area and reach the red core area. I've been there before and have some impression of it. Most importantly, the three-headed monster is right here."

Huo Xiuxiu paused and continued.

"With that monster's abilities, it's impossible for it to survive in the red zone. But since it escaped, it's been heading straight for the red zone with a clear purpose. I guess there must be some secret there."

Hearing Huo Xiuxiu's words, the three of them all showed solemn expressions. They had already suffered a lot in the yellow area, let alone the red core area.

"But how dangerous it is there..." Ge Dalong said with some concern.

Huo Xiuxiu interrupted him and said, "I know the dangers there, but this is our only way out. If we continue to stay in this foggy world, something unexpected will happen one day."

Zhang Shi looked at Huo Xiuxiu's determined eyes and knew that what she said made sense, but he didn't know whether he should believe this mysterious woman in front of him.

After a moment, Zhang Shi decided to take a gamble. The longer it dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for them. It would be better to fight while their morale and physical condition were at their peak.

"Okay, we'll listen to you." Zhang Shi said firmly.

Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong also nodded in agreement.

With that, the four of them began packing their belongings, ready for tomorrow's challenge. Huo Xiuxiu also unearthed some of her unusual magical instruments for the first time, carefully cleaning them with a white cloth to ensure they were in perfect condition. Zhang Shi checked his black light armor and weapons, ensuring they would be functional in the crucial moment. Zhao Feng and Ge Dalong were responsible for gathering food, water, and other necessary survival tools.

After everything was ready, the four of them lay on the ground in silence, each thinking about something.

……

The next morning, everyone left the cabin and set out on their journey to the Red Core Zone. They knew it would be a journey fraught with danger and challenges, so they moved with extreme caution. Furthermore, the fog shrouded them, slowing their progress. It took them an entire morning to reach the site of yesterday's fight.

Huo Xiuxiu gently rang the bell, dispersing some of the thick fog ahead. Before anyone could react, a rusty iron spear suddenly emerged from the mist, aiming directly at Huo Xiuxiu.

Huo Xiuxiu waved her hand casually, and a blue flame appeared in mid-air, blocking the iron spear. The flame was strange, and it could spread in the air, forcing the owner of the iron spear to retreat, temporarily suspending the attack. At this time, everyone saw clearly that the attacker in front of them was actually the winged monster that Huo Xiuxiu had driven away yesterday.

There were obvious signs of burning on the body of this winged monster, but overall it looked fine. Its eagle eyes were full of resentment as it stared at Huo Xiuxiu. It seemed that he was holding a grudge against Huo Xiuxiu for what happened yesterday. He had deliberately ambushed her on this path today, but he didn't expect to run into her.

After a moment, the flames went out.

"Ow!"

The winged monster let out a strange cry, flapped its wings and rushed towards Huo Xiuxiu again.

Huo Xiuxiu clapped her hands, and a row of ghost hands appeared on the ground, grabbing the claws of the winged monster and making it unable to move.

Huo Xiuxiu pointed in the air, and a stream of air hit the winged monster. The monster quickly turned its head to dodge, and the airflow only left a tiny wound on its face.

The winged monster was furious. He swept his spear across, crushing all the ghost hands under his feet in one go. Then he flapped his wings and flew into the sky, disappearing into the thick fog.

Huo Xiuxiu frowned slightly. The other party obviously had a way to see through the thick fog, which made them passive.

Zhang Shi and the others looked up at the sky, occasionally hearing the sound of flapping wings. They knew that the monster was probably watching them from high above and might attack at any time.

"Whoosh!"

Before everyone could see anything, a sharp sound of breaking through the air reached their ears.

Ge Dalong hurriedly released a wall of water above his head, just enough to block the monster's iron spear. Zhang Shi followed closely behind him, flashing behind the monster and ready to attack.

Unexpectedly, the winged monster was extremely agile. It stepped hard on the water wall and its whole body bounced out, leaving Zhang Shi empty-handed.

"Fuck, are you treating us like soft persimmons?"

Zhao Feng stared at the sky angrily, clenching his battle axe tightly, wishing he could tear the birdman to pieces.

Huo Xiuxiu took out two bells and began to shake them vigorously and continuously.

As the ringing spread, the surrounding fog began to dissipate on a large scale, revealing the entire battlefield clearly and completely before everyone's eyes. Even the winged monster circling low in the sky was nowhere to be found. Huo Xiuxiu attacked again, this time with a volley of five streams of air, piercing the monster's wings in one fell swoop, sending it plummeting uncontrollably from the sky.