novelraw Chapter 81 : Sultry Red Forest
Chapter 81 : Sultry Red Forest
The Sultry Red Forest energy field map was sent to the team channel in advance. Unlike the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain, they at least didn't have to worry about map issues.
But looking at the plane map divided into 1000*1000 coordinates, Chen Sui opened the team channel and sincerely exclaimed: "The old ginger is still the spiciest."
She was undoubtedly referring to the Competition Committee.
"This map is too detailed, so detailed I can't even think of swear words."
"But the problem is, there's no positioning at all. So how do we know where we are right now?"
Chen Sui asked a thought-provoking question.
The three scattered members, after a brief adjustment, quickly understood why she said this.
Because the Sultry Red Forest was a vast rainforest, surrounded by similar trees, grass, and plants, with hardly any distinctive landmarks.
"Each cycle refreshes one mecha position, showing the ID and coordinates," Xie Chunshi said. "This is the first way to know coordinates."
"The Competition Committee designed this deliberately to ignite conflict, didn't they?"
Zhou Chen pondered, chin in hand.
At their landing point, they found a place to hide and began their first joint thinking session.
"In the early stage, teams that regroup early can use coordinates to gain the upper hand and eliminate lone mechas. In the later stage, as teams regroup, strong teams can use coordinates to capture surviving teams and begin clearing the field."
Xie Chunshi explained.
Chen Sui, recalling the elimination light pillars from the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain, reminded: "I wonder if the elimination light pillars will be linked to the map."
If they were, that would be another good opportunity to learn coordinates.
They discussed ideas about positions and coordinates. After determining several methods to understand coordinates, Chen Sui reminded Zhou Chen: "Also, don't forget our main purpose."
Xie Chunshi raised an eyebrow, thinking she had some insight.
Then he heard Zhou Chen enthusiastically respond: "Don't worry, I won't forget. When I find materials, I'll mark them on the map!"
Chen Sui nodded with satisfaction: "Good, you've become a mature expert at resource gathering."
Xie Chunshi narrowed his eyes.
Is that what she meant by main purpose?
"Share a list of materials in the team channel," Xie Chunshi went with the flow.
Chen Sui had been preparing since landing, so she immediately sent it over, thoughtfully including signals for common energy bodies.
Having done this, she suddenly understood: "No wonder the Competition Committee installed energy detection equipment when modifying the mechas."
The portable energy detection device could detect obvious energy fluctuations, like a rough version of an analyst's energy map, but not as intelligent as an analyst's targeting, and its energy detection was crude, unable to determine energy crystal locations.
But for outputs, it was already a significant help.
Hearing her, Zhou Chen suddenly realized: "I thought it was a mecha upgrade! Didn't expect the Competition Committee already had the idea of separating us!"
In the control room, Ji Qing, observing this scene, quickly denied any connection: "That's not the case at all. It really was just a mecha upgrade. The mecha portable detection device is the latest research achievement of the Analyst Association, making it easier to detect surrounding energy fluctuations without affecting spiritual transmission."
It's a new breakthrough product! Not some scheme from the Competition Committee.
But at this moment, the people in the field couldn't hear this.
After saying goodbye to the school team, Chen Sui stood up from behind Puluo's shield. She stepped on the ground: "Let's make the most of our time. If we're lucky enough to eliminate a lone mecha, then we'll get coordinates."
The place where Chen Sui and Puluo landed was surrounded by tall, dense forest. The green bark of the trees was full of red marks, like erosion traces left after water flow.
Chen Sui instinctively thought of the reminder in the competition introduction.
Red rain, corrosive and burning.
"The energy fluctuations around are not high," she didn't release her energy perception, but fiddled with the portable detection device installed inside the mecha by the Competition Committee.
Scanning for energy body signals that were very weak, Chen Sui waited for the detection results before extending her energy.
The broad leaves above the rainforest blocked the sunlight, with only a few rays of light filtering through the leaf gaps.
When the green light appeared, the video could clearly capture this scene.
[Wow, I just remembered, isn't this analyst at an advantage in wood-attribute environments?]
[Seriously speaking, in this competition format, Zhu Jing Fu isn't at a particular disadvantage!]
[Yeah, comparing the Seven Schools' analysts horizontally, Zhu Jing Fu's should have the highest combat value]
[Why do I feel like this map is a bit blind? What's the first step?]
[Not knowing your own position or anyone else's position, can you only wait for the refresh?]
[What's Chen Sui going to do?]
Chen Sui's fluctuation perception detected an unfamiliar energy body, and she quickly moved toward the fluctuation point.
The single combat unit pulled out that long staff that had attracted much attention in the final battle of the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain. The staff was split in the middle, opened at the top, directly supporting the shield umbrella over the analyst's and his own mecha.
This scene looked peculiar.
In the dark forest, a golden shield umbrella was raised, with two mechas moving slowly. Looking at this, many viewers in the comments were at a loss for words.
[Brother, not forgetting to show off even at this time? Does Zhu Jing Fu have some KPI for showing off that we don't know about?]
[Seriously, what's the necessity of using an umbrella in this forest?]
[Don't you think that with this umbrella up, even the mechas look more elegant?]
[This staff is so convenient, can be a shield, can be an umbrella, style maxed out!]
The necessity of using an umbrella was purely to allow Puluo's shield to push open the leaves, because Chen Sui looked up at the obviously height-layered broad-leaved plants and reminded: "Use the umbrella to prop up the view above, so we can see clearly."
So Puluo held the shield umbrella this way.
"Where are we going now?"
Their team channel remained open.
Chen Sui observed the surrounding fluctuations, pointing to an area where energy bodies gathered: "We need to wait for mecha coordinates to refresh. Might as well hunt while we're waiting."
Hunt?
Her references were always very vivid and easy to understand.
For instance, Puluo immediately understood. The analyst had set her sights on energy bodies—materials weren't the only thing to gather; energy crystals were also needed.
Chen Sui wasn't greedy. The area she selected was just right for her and Puluo to easily handle.
In the team channel, Zhou Chen, hearing them having so much fun, also got restless at his position.
"I say, should I go hunting too?"
Chen Sui, who had just extracted a completely undamaged S-level energy crystal, responded: "Your method is too rough. After fighting, the energy crystal gets damaged and can't be used. If you're idle, why not play with mud instead."
Zhou Chen: ?
"Don't look down on me! I'm just a bit domineering with my lightning control!"
Chen Sui laughed, but before she could respond, she suddenly heard a voice:
[Current surviving mechas in Sultry Red Forest energy field: 50]
[Signal refresh cycle: 5 hours]
[Current refresh signal: 3194, (792, 531)]
This signal flashed on the Sultry Red Forest map for ten seconds, then completely disappeared.
The Sultry Red Forest map was divided into 1000*1000 coordinates, with a total of two base stations, located at (010, 321) and (875, 595). During signal refresh, the corresponding coordinate point flashed.
"It's an area division, the agile attacker from Third Ring Ninth Academy, currently in this area," Xie Chunshi said. "But we don't know our own coordinates, so knowing his position isn't very helpful."
"We must move, can't stay in one place," Chen Sui sat down to think for a while. "3194 now knows his coordinates. His goal is either to wait for the second refresh to find prey, or to find his teammates. Though the map has few landmarks, the base stations, the several obvious lakes above, and the special position in the central area can all serve as meeting points."
"Five hours each time, waiting for refresh is too time-consuming, and the chance of it randomly refreshing to yourself is too small, far less efficient than finding teams to eliminate."
The rest of the school team was waiting for this refresh. Now that the refresh result was out, with no leads, they immediately implemented the second approach.
"Find mechas we can take down around us, being careful to avoid groups."
Xie Chunshi said, after which only the sounds of mecha friction and movement remained in the team channel.
Chen Sui shifted her attention back from the team channel, saying to Puluo: "Let's go too."
Without knowing the coordinates, it was uncertain where to go, just blindly moving forward.
Entering the energy field at noon, they propelled their mechas forward, dealing with any energy bodies they encountered along the way.
By nightfall, they still hadn't seen any sign of mechas.
Chen Sui looked up at the sky through the gaps in the broad leaves: "The energy field has more red rain at night. We need to find meteor trees in the forest to take shelter."
She described the form of meteor trees: "This type of tree should be unique to energy fields like Sultry Red Forest, where wood attributes and fire attributes intertwine. Broad leaves, 30-50 meters in height, with lantern-like fruits hanging down from the leaves that ignite and rotate like shooting stars when they encounter fire-attribute red rain."
Zhou Chen, who had also been searching around his area but found it too quiet with no sign of mechas, had just found a tree to sit and rest. Hearing her description, he suddenly looked up at the big tree he was standing on.
The tree trunk was gnarled and intertwined, extending into the distance, with huge leaves on the branches shielding below.
At the tip of the leaves seemed to hang a round fruit, about the size of a mecha's palm.
So, he opened the team channel, and while Chen Sui was describing, a three-dimensional model of the meteor tree was suddenly uploaded.
Chen Sui looked at it, somewhat surprised by his sudden display of intelligence: "Not bad, you learn materials quickly and remember forms well too. Could it be your talent points were allocated incorrectly?"
Zhou Chen might have some talent as a repair technician.
Zhou Chen, undeservedly praised, wasn't proud this time but rather sheepish as he stepped on his foot: "Well, that meteor tree you're talking about is right under my feet."
This statement made the four Zhu Jing Fu members, busy looking for shelter from the rain, somewhat silent.
So his talent points weren't wrong; they were all allocated to luck.
Zhou Chen scratched his head, "Pretty lucky, huh?"
"Hehe," Chen Sui laughed dryly, turning to look at Puluo, "Let's go find meteor trees too. When we see red rain, I'll see how to modify the dust shield."
Zhu Jing Fu's two dust shields were currently with Xie Chunshi and Chen Sui.
Speaking of this, Zhou Chen felt pained: "See, Commander, I told you the rain shield looked good! How could your hand slip like that!"
Chen Sui knew Xie Chunshi's hand hadn't slipped.
It was because he hadn't expected Zhou Chen's mouth could be so prophetic.
"Really, talk less. Your words are precious and should be saved for critical moments."
Zhou Chen didn't understand the intent behind Chen Sui's words, but judging by her tone, she seemed to be praising him, so he became even more pleased: "But this dust shield, without you, how do we modify it?"
Chen Sui was silent for a second. Before entering the energy field, no one had mentioned that teams would be scattered.
"Teams must regroup later. It can be modified then. In the later stages, resources like dust shields that can withstand red rain will be crucial."
Xie Chunshi's reminder sounded.
This reminded Chen Sui of the waterproof materials in the later stages of the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain.
Currently, red rain appeared mostly at night, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't become less predictable in later stages.
The appearance of meteor trees was quite distinctive from surrounding plants, but even so, Chen Sui and Puluo wandered through the jungle for a long time.
Until they smelled something like iron rust.
This smell, similar to blood, made Chen Sui sensitively stop in her tracks.