A Well-Intentioned but Deadly Trap!

On the other side, Chen Yu naturally had no idea that his good buddy was worrying about the entire world, and he excitedly shouted for Lin Yi to look at the next notification.

"It doesn't stop there, Brother Yi, look at this!"

It was clearly not just the Source Energy Guidance Technique that had Chen Yu so excited.

After all, compared to others, he had already learned it a step ahead of time, so there was actually another reason for his excitement.

Chen Yu tapped to open a regional map.

"Gathering points!"

"Look, our city has a gathering point too, and the assembly location is at the old department store on Copper Horse Street, only about five kilometers away from us in a straight line!"

As he spoke, Chen Yu zoomed in on the regional map of Helu City. One could clearly see four striking red dots distributed around the area where their Hongfu Tower was located, each labeled with the words [Miniature Nest].

The location of the old department store happened to be in a narrow, white area in the center of these four red dots that had not yet been tainted by red.

This was the so-called "Gap Zone."

"This Hongfu Tower of ours is one of these four Miniature Nests."

"The authorities haven't given up on us; they will come to save us. We can go to the gathering point and won't have to live in such fear anymore!"

Chen Yu's voice carried an excitement akin to surviving a disaster.

"Yeah... we can go to the gathering point..."

Lin Yi could imagine what kind of mood the people struggling to survive would be in upon seeing this news.

However, as Lin Yi's gaze swept over the gathering point located in the gaps between the four Miniature Nests, a rare sense of irritability rose in his heart.

Based on the current intelligence, the authorities' strategy was absolutely correct and optimal.

Utilizing the territory rules of the nests to establish a Safe Zone was the best way to preserve the most effective strength at this stage.

However, they did not know that the "Safe Zone" rules they were relying on at this moment were not an eternal, unchanging iron law.

Because Abyss Beast Nests evolve!

Relying on various data regarding Abyss Beast Nests obtained by Blue Star using Source Energy technology in his past life, combined with public information obtained from the Pan-Spirit Alliance virtual network, Lin Yi could almost be called the person who "understood" Abyss Beast Nests the best.

Taking the Miniature Nest they were in as an example, Lin Yi clearly remembered that at the beginning of the descent, the core of a Miniature Nest would come with about 100,000 units of Source Energy Value.

This source energy would be used upon arrival to produce the first batch of abyss beasts.

For example, an ordinary Abyssal Wolf individual consumed about 7-10 points of source energy, and a Miniature Nest would initially release tens of thousands of Abyssal Wolves like a fountain until the initial source energy was exhausted.

Afterward, the nest core would begin to slowly and continuously obtain energy from the Divine Kingdom Projection, recovering 1000 points of source energy daily.

This source energy would be used to replenish lost abyss beasts or be accumulated.

The key point was that when the "controllable total source energy" of a nest—that is, the source energy contained in surviving abyss beasts plus the unused source energy accumulated in the core—returned to the initial full value of 100,000 points, starting from the second day of overflow, its territory range would begin to expand extremely slowly!

For example, when the total source energy became 101,000, the diameter of the territory would expand by one percent.

This expansion was permanent; even if the total source energy fell later, the range would not shrink back.

And when its total source energy reached ten times the initial value through daily accumulation, that is, one million units, it would trigger a qualitative change.

At that time, the Miniature Nest would evolve into a Small Nest.

After the evolution was complete, it could produce more powerful new types of abyss beasts, and at the same time, the daily source energy recovery speed would jump to 5000 points!

The evolution mechanism of a Small Nest was the same, only the total amount of source energy required was more massive, and the time required was longer.

By that time, what would the old stadium gathering point, currently situated in the safety gap of the four Miniature Nests, face?

As the territory ranges of the surrounding Miniature Nests continued to expand, this current Safe Zone would soon be completely overlapped and covered by the territories of the four nests.

The gathering point that the authorities had worked so hard to establish would turn into a trap born of good intentions, attracting survivors only to become a giant, completely surrounded tomb!

The key was that in the short term, the authorities wouldn't even realize such a problem.

Because current Abyss Beast Nests all had more or less losses, and in the early stages, they were all in a state of not being at full capacity.

It wouldn't be until the authorities had built the gathering point and thought about hiding in the safe area to silently lick their wounds that they would suddenly realize one day that they had been surrounded.

Moreover, this matter did not just concern Xia Country itself.

Especially for some smaller nations, if their own strength was insufficient and they blindly copied the decisions of the Xia Country, they might end up getting themselves killed.

No... I must find a way to make the authorities discover this early!

Lin Yi's expression remained unchanged, but after silently pondering in his heart, he instantly changed his plan of waiting at Hongfu Tower for the authorities to make contact.

Because passive waiting was no longer appropriate; there was a high probability that the authorities would no longer establish a shelter at Hongfu Tower as they had in his past life memories.

He had to take the initiative!

And he had to do it as soon as possible.

Lin Yi planned to finish handling the matters at Hongfu Tower tonight and then head to the Gap Zone to make contact with the authorities in advance.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi looked at Chen Yu, who was still immersed in excitement.

"A Yu..."

"I feel like we need to change our plan."

Chen Yu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

"What's wrong, Brother Yi? Didn't we say we were going to hold our ground here and wait for reinforcements? Isn't the rescue team supposed to arrive soon?"

"No."

Lin Yi shook his head.

"The rescue team will definitely come, but there's no telling how long it will take. They need to coordinate and clear the routes; no one can say for sure when they will actually reach our sector."

"Hongfu Tower has just been cleared and is temporarily safe. It has a solid structure, and we've found water and food. These are our most valuable assets right now... even if we head to the Helu City Settlement, we don't need to abandon this place. We can turn it into a temporary transit point."

His gaze swept over the green figures flickering faintly amidst the ruins of the small plaza outside Hongfu Tower.

"Besides, there are definitely other survivors like us nearby. They are trapped in different locations, surrounded and cut off by various squads of Abyssal Beast. We must find a way to search for and rescue them as much as possible while ensuring our own safety, so we can consolidate our strength."

"And then..." Lin Yi's gaze sharpened. Time waited for no one; he had to speed up his progress. "I will set out alone first to reach the settlement and make contact with the authorities."

"Alone?!"

The excitement on Chen Yu's face was instantly replaced by shock and worry.

"That's too dangerous! Brother Yi, it's five kilometers away, and the outside is crawling with those monsters—no, Abyssal Beast!"

"It is precisely because it is dangerous that I must go alone."

Lin Yi shook his head, cutting off Chen Yu's attempt to persuade him further.

"A single person has a smaller profile, is more mobile, and can hide and pass through dangerous areas more easily. My goal is to scout and make contact, not to fight. If everything goes smoothly, I will reach the destination quickly."

He couldn't reveal the truth about the nest evolution, so he had to use a different reason.

"The authorities also said that we will lose signal and network access very soon."

"I must reach the rescue team as soon as possible to understand the actual situation there, their defensive strength, their capacity to receive survivors, and most importantly..."

"To determine a relatively safe evacuation route. At the same time, I need to report the situation regarding us and the survivors I discover along the way, so they can carry out targeted rescue operations later."

"The stronghold we are building here and the Manpower we gather can also alleviate their pressure and provide them with a ready-made transit point and support base."

"But..."

Chen Yu managed to utter only one word before stopping himself.

Because he knew him well enough.

He saw the determination in Lin Yi's eyes. Although he remained worried, the words of persuasion ultimately did not leave his lips.

Chen Yu knew that once his best friend had made up his mind to do something, not even ten oxen could pull him back.

Source energy... Chen Yu silently clenched his fists.

After a while, he said in a muffled voice, "I understand. Should I call Uncle and Aunt, and Uncle Jianjun and the others over first? You should at least tell them about this plan."

Lin Yi nodded. He took one last look at the location of the Helu City Settlement on the screen, closed the phone, and returned it to Chen Yu.

"Alright, but there's no need to rush. Let's finish what we're doing first. I haven't fully recovered yet. Once I'm back in shape, we'll rescue the nearby survivors tonight, rest for the night, and then I'll set out tomorrow."