Cave Dweller Ambush

The cramped room was dimly lit, a balding middle-aged man speaking in a low voice.

"Ever since I was a kid, I've hated people who don't follow the rules."

"Back in school and at work, whenever I saw classmates or colleagues cheating on exams or copying homework, I was always the first to report them!"

"I have great respect for rules. I keep the committee's 'Special Management Regulations' by my bedside. Doing everything strictly according to relevant laws and regulations—production, operations—that's my personal code."

The prosecutor sitting across from him, Song Shiyi, wore a strange expression.

"Then, Jia Xiaokai, why are you here?"

"It's a frame-up! A misunderstanding, a setup..."

Song Shiyi cut him off: "Let's stick to the main issue."

"We all know that individuals from lower dimensions can't independently break through dimensional limits. They need a player's cooperation."

"You claim you didn't use any means to remotely control her. So how did that woman named Yu Yao, of the Donghai Clan, enter the real world? That's the tribe you control."

"I don't know either."

Jia Xiaokai spread his hands: "You can't just wrong an innocent person, can you? Sure, I've made some small mistakes... but I've been serving my sentence in confinement for the past two years, with no violations."

"Jia Xiaokai, organizing cross-dimensional prostitution among lower-dimensional groups—you're the first case."

Song Shiyi's gaze sharpened: "Using lower-dimensional believers and ordinary people to breed mutants—you're not the first, but you have the highest number of offenses in history."

"You say you respect the rules. Do you even believe that yourself?"

The middle-aged man, Jia Xiaokai, smoothed his hair, showing no embarrassment on his face. Instead, he broke into a smile: "Prosecutor Song, let's not dwell on the past. After you arrested me, I've been here obediently, quietly managing my faith in the Crawling Zone. That's all verifiable in the Pantheon."

"Oh, right—it must be those props in my room. The Donghai Clan used them to cross over. That's the only explanation, isn't it?"

Song Shiyi said stiffly: "I hope you'll cooperate with the committee's investigation and confess the truth. Otherwise, once we uncover everything, you'll face multiple charges, and your confinement will be extended further. I advise you to think carefully."

After the young female prosecutor left, the small room returned to darkness, only the faint glow of the computer screen flickering on the desk.

Jia Xiaokai's face darkened.

His trump card hadn't been revealed. Sooner or later, he'd soar to the top.

"Once I enter the Leap Zone, what's the committee? Just a bunch of cowards who bully the weak."

"Song Shiyi, weren't you from a girl group? When that day comes, I'll make you put on a bodysuit in front of me, dancing square dances while singing 'Hubby Hubby I Love You!'"

Lu Yao opened the takeout box, pulled out the Ginger Duck Noodles, and ate slowly with pickled radish slices and sour plum soup.

After Zhou Qiang moved out, the place had returned to its usual calm.

He could finally focus again and return to the Simulator.

Isabelle had naturally gone back to the Pixel World.

She was the most important strategic weapon under Lu Yao's command. It could be said that the Garlic Tribe's rapid development was rooted in Isabelle's exceptional personal ability.

Normally, for a tribe to continuously develop its civilization and expand its population, it required enough patience and sustained attention and care.

The progress of civilization needed long-term accumulation to show a spiraling rise.

Lu Yao vaguely felt that god players in the Safe Zone couldn't normally hold Apostles.

There was no related option in the Miracle list at all. Isabelle seemed more like an inheritance Lu Yao had received from the Forest God.

He estimated that to independently create an Apostle, he might need to leave the Safe Zone, build a Miracle, and enter the Crawling Zone before the corresponding option appeared.

Lu Yao glanced at the upper right corner.

Population: 11,371 Faith: 11,094

With the push from Ghost City Sanilo, these numbers were still growing. Compared to breeding the living, finding wandering ghosts left by the dead was much easier in a short time.

Under the strong promotion of Mayor Chapman, Commander Alex led the soldiers to find one wandering ghost after another by the seaside. Most of them were willing to join Sanilo to gain the god's protection.

Sanilo's work of absorbing ghosts had already pushed further into the desert.

Since Isabelle had been slaughtering wildly in the desert, killing Sand Worms until they dared not show their faces, the threat level there had dropped significantly.

After continuously killing groups of Sand Worms, Isabelle's [Sword of the Forest] trait had been triggered. Two more [Striped Lynxes] were created, and they also ran into the forest, acting as invisible guardians for the Garlic Tribe.

The only drawback was that the vast city of Sanilo had no decent Sacrificial Offerings.

Mayor Chapman had explained the reason.

All the precious treasures in the city had been offered to the Forest God. With the god's fall, they had all disappeared. Later, when the Prayer God discovered there were no offerings here, and Sanilo refused to submit easily, it brought the Totem's curse as punishment.

Lu Yao had asked Isabelle: "You were once the Forest God's Apostle. Why don't the people of Sanilo know you at all?"

"Master, Apostles often travel far and rarely stay stationed. The believers' knowledge is quite limited."

Thinking that Little Fire, the temple servant, also didn't recognize Isabelle, it seemed plausible.

Lu Yao stopped probing further.

Just as Lu Yao was closely monitoring Sanilo's situation, trouble broke out on the Garlic Tribe's side.

From the mountains in the west, which had collapsed in an earthquake, some [Cave Dwellers] suddenly appeared.

To buy time for the Garlic Tribe to rally their people, two Hero Hunter-Heads, Yu Zou, and five Hunters lured the cave dwellers in another direction. But outnumbered and outmatched, the Hero Hunter-Head and four Hunters fell in battle, leaving only the wounded Yu Zou alive.

The news hit too suddenly, catching Lu Yao off guard, and then came anger.

I didn't bother with what was happening beyond the mountain, and you lot dare to climb all over my face instead?

—Isabelle, slaughter those cave dwellers to avenge the Hunter-Head.

Upon receiving the order, the Apostle rushed into the mountains.

Soon, [In Battle] appeared above Isabelle's head.

Lu Yao clicked to enter the battle screen.

In the battle scene, cave dwellers were humanoid creatures with bare torsos and stone masks, wielding stone spears, their bodies covered in thick fur, ranging from Level 1 to Level 5, five in total.

Facing monsters of this scale, a hero currently without any soldiers deployed was indeed hard-pressed to fight.

Lu Yao glanced at the panel of the highest-level cave dweller.

[Cave Dweller LV5]

Health Points: 102/102

Mana Points: 22/22

Damage: 6

Defense: 4

Speed: 4

[Strong Lv2]

Health Points above normal; maintains vigorous fighting spirit for extended periods.

To Isabelle, no matter how many cave dwellers there were, they were nothing but bugs. They charged desperately but couldn't even break through Isabelle's defense, and their thrown stone spears all resulted in Misses.

Isabelle slaughtered coldly, taking down two groups of cave dwellers in a row before finally locating the monsters' main nest. Their lair was on a mountain, with ten more there, led by a [Mutated Cave Dweller].

[Mutated Cave Dweller LV10]

Health Points: 219/219

Mana Points: 51/51

Damage: 8

Defense: 6

Speed: 6

[Strong Lv5]

Health Points above normal; maintains vigorous fighting spirit for extended periods.

[Heavy Strike LV1]

Attacks have a chance to deal additional damage.

Inside the cave dweller nest, Salt Pool Tribe little people were also lurking about.

Seeing Isabelle's arrival, these little people scrambled frantically to flee outside.

Lu Yao frowned.

Same old troublemakers, they're everywhere.

It was hard to say the cave dwellers' sudden raid on the Garlic Tribe had nothing to do with the Salt Pool Tribe.

Facing Isabelle, the [Mutated Cave Dweller] actually turned tail and ran, fleeing alongside the Salt Pool Tribe people, showing no leadership qualities.

Offend a God and think you can run?

Lu Yao directly summoned a bolt of Lightning, knocking 40 HP off the [Mutated Cave Dweller]. This Electric Shock also slowed the cave dweller's escape momentum, and Isabelle immediately caught up to it.

With her Holy Sword summoned, Isabelle utterly crushed the Mutated Cave Dweller. Under a barrage of consecutive thrusts, slashes, and green light explosions, this cave dweller leader's health bar emptied, and it fell to the ground with [Death] above its head.

Isabelle then began mopping up the remaining cave dwellers.

Perhaps due to low intelligence, the lesser cave dwellers were instead fearless of death, surging forward wave after wave, though the result was always the same—easily slain by Isabelle.

After the battle ended, Isabelle stood leaning on her sword, and from the corpses on the ground, faint green lights rose, gradually coalescing into a small animal.

[Off-road Rabbit LV5][Created by Isabelle]

Health Points: 75/75

Mana Points: 25/25

Damage: 2

Defense: 2

Speed: 10

[Off-road Rabbit LV5]

Capable of sustained high-speed running to evade enemies.

[Forest Elemental LV1]

A Forest Elemental Creature, beneficial for rapid forest growth. All attributes are amplified within forests. Effect depends on ability level and Health Points.

The Off-road Rabbit's stats couldn't be called outstanding—more like better than nothing.

"Milord."

Isabelle said, "It can serve as a hub for communication between tribes, relaying messages."

Lu Yao's main focus wasn't on this rabbit.

He typed in the dialogue box.

—Ask the dead spirit why the Cave Dwellers attacked the Garlic Tribe, and who is pulling the strings behind it.

Thanks to Hani Repeater for supporting 100 Qidian coins, and Star Moon River for supporting 100 Qidian coins.