The Second Disaster Announcement
The stone house was spotless, with new Storage Slot neatly arranged and empty, and all kinds of supplies properly categorized and placed. The tension from days of exploring the swamp, fighting among tribes, and gathering resources completely dissipated at this moment.
Standing in front of the storage area, Lu Heng looked at the neatly arranged supplies and felt completely relaxed. After several days of intense tension, his body had accumulated a lot of hidden fatigue, and he planned to have a good meal to make up for the losses he had incurred.
He took out the sealed Bronze Tier Swamp Giant Python meat from his Storage Space. The meat was firm and fresh, with no signs of spoilage or decay. He moved a pot over the fire and, without any complicated procedures, cut half of it into pieces and boiled it, while frying the other half in a thin layer of oil.
He placed chunks of meat in a pot of water and simmered them over low heat until the oil was rendered. He then seared the surface of the python meat in a frying pan over high heat, forcing out excess oil from the inside. The aroma of the meat quickly filled the entire stone house. He casually added some wild mountain seasonings that he had stockpiled, simply to remove any fishy smell and enhance the flavor. There were no fancy combinations; he only wanted something substantial and filling to replenish his energy.
The food is ready, steaming hot.
Lu Heng sat quietly at the entrance of the stone house, eating his meal. Each bite of fried meat was fragrant and rich, and each sip of meat soup was warm and satisfying. He ate with composure and restraint, without any exaggerated movements. For the past few days, he had either eaten hastily or made do with whatever he could find. This was the most peaceful and complete meal he had had in a while.
Chew slowly and thoroughly throughout the meal until your stomach is completely full. The warmth gradually soothes your fatigue and restores your depleted energy.
After cleaning up the pot and pan residue, the stone house returned to silence.
Lu Heng sat cross-legged on the ground, clearing his mind of distractions, and began to cultivate the Starlight Visualization Method.
This method of spiritual cultivation is tedious and time-consuming, with no shortcuts; it can only be achieved through daily accumulation and refinement. He steadied his breathing, looked straight ahead, and slowly focused his mind inward, filtering out all external distractions.
Once, twice, three times...
The repetitive meditation cycle continued, and the mind was repeatedly tempered and refined in the ultimate tranquility. After an unknown amount of time, the previously stagnant mental energy began to fluctuate subtly and clearly.
Mental Energy Value: 3
The numerical values aren't high, and we're still a long way from achieving a stronger mental state; it's far from a breakthrough or transformation. But it's a real improvement, a tangible result of long-term, tedious perseverance.
Lu Heng slowly opened his eyes, his eyes were clearer than before, his mind was more lucid, and his whole mental state was refreshed.
Without much joy, he simply noted the change silently. In this Survival World, even the smallest improvement is the key to staying alive.
Completely relaxed, with no external threats and no urgent matters to attend to, Lu Heng stopped pushing himself and lay down to rest. The stone house was safe, secluded, and quiet, and he quickly fell into a deep sleep, without a single dream.
As dawn broke, a pale gray tinge appeared on the horizon, and the morning chill seeped in through the cracks in the stone house.
The silence was suddenly broken.
The Wristband worn by all survivors lit up uncontrollably, and the mechanical, cold, Global Region notification sound forcefully echoed in every corner, which no one could block or skip.
[Global Region Emergency Announcement: The Second Survival Catastrophe Officially Begins]
[This disaster applies to all areas where human survivors are active, with no exceptions]
[Dramatic Changes in Ecological Rules: Over the next seven days, hostility among all creatures Global Region will continue to increase, with a significant rise in malice towards human survivors.]
[Rule Details: The probability of actively searching for and attacking humans will be continuously increased daily.]
[Unique immunity mechanism: If a survivor has been granted territorial recognition or tacit permission to live by a certain type of wild tribe, that tribe will not actively hunt them.]
[Survival Buff: For each type of beast tribe that gains the approval of you, your personal Global Region aggro priority decreases, and your survival margin for error increases accordingly]
[Warning: After the seven-day hostility stacking ends, survivors who have not adapted to the drastic ecological changes and do not have group immunity will face a significantly increased risk of death.]
[All survivors are advised to handle this ecological catastrophe on their own.]
The announcement was short, but every word was cold and devoid of emotion, yet it conveyed a chilling sense of oppression for survival.
Lu Heng instantly snapped out of it, sat up straight, and stared at the text on the Wristband, his expression calm.
What was bound to happen has finally happened.
The first cataclysm reshaped the basic living environment, eliminating the first batch of survivors who could not adapt. This second cataclysm directly targets the core conflict between humans and alien beasts, forcibly intensifying the hostility of all wild creatures.
After a brief silence, he quickly reviewed his past experiences in his mind, and a sense of relief suddenly arose in his heart.
Previously, in the heart of the Frost Forest, he forcefully intimidated the surrounding beasts and personally demarcated his exclusive territory. The wild tribes in the entire area had long since accepted his presence and would not dare to offend him.
In yesterday's swamp battle, he faced the two top-tier groups, the Ant Queen and the Slippery Fish King, and used the corpse of the Black-Winged Kite as a bargaining chip to complete the transaction. He publicly established his authority and demarcated boundaries, which led the core swamp groups to tacitly approve his sphere of influence.
In other words, without anyone noticing, he had already gained the implicit approval of the mainstream alien beast groups in the two core areas.
Compared to countless survivors around the world who start from scratch and have no ethnic backing, his early advantage has already left the vast majority of them far behind.
But this sense of relief didn't last long; a sense of unease soon crept in.
He wasn't sure if the malicious buff from this Global Region catastrophe would forcibly alter the alien beasts' perceptions.
The acceptance of the group was a tacit understanding reached before the cataclysm. Now that the global rules have been forcibly rewritten and the hostility of all beasts has surged uniformly, no one can guarantee that the previous tacit agreement and acceptance will not become invalid.
If the Global Region maliciously suppresses the original cognition of the race, those beasts that once accepted him will still launch proactive attacks against him.
The unknown variables made Lu Heng unable to feel completely at ease.
He looked down at his fully equipped gear, complete with offensive and defensive features, and his combat strength was sufficient to handle ordinary dangers. Rather than sitting here guessing and feeling uneasy, he might as well take the initiative to verify it.
Instead of passively waiting for potential problems to surface, it's better to proactively investigate and eliminate them.
He quickly finalized the plan in his mind.
After daybreak, he would conduct a large patrol around the Shelter, actively probing the condition of the surrounding wild animals.
If the wild animals maintain their original tacit understanding and do not approach or attack him, it means that the previous tribal recognition is still in effect, and he can safely get through the seven-day period of increased hostility.
If a wild beast initiates an attack, it proves that the rules of the cataclysm have overridden the old tacit understanding.
He should take advantage of the fact that the hostility has not yet reached its peak to eliminate potential threats in the surrounding area and prevent the risk of being besieged later.
As the sky grew brighter, the first light of dawn completely pierced through the darkness of night.
A new round of survival challenges has officially begun. And he must seize all the initiative in advance.