ocean-life Chapter 64 The Strange Stone Statue
Chapter 64 The Strange Stone Statue
"I know, but we have no other choice now."
"We can only pray that we can find a supply point before we run out of fuel."
Everything changed before we even entered the snowfield.
Previously, the convoy would not encounter anything strange for half a month, but after entering the snowfield, they encountered something strange almost every day, and most of them were quite powerful.
The frequency and intensity of encounters have increased dramatically, as if we've stumbled upon a sinister lair.
He had absolutely no confidence that he would be able to find a city or a team to exchange with.
The others were also somewhat silent, but the addition of a Sequence 2 to the team gave everyone a bit more confidence.
Due to the weather and various battles encountered, the convoy's vehicles had problems of varying degrees.
Therefore, before the sun began to set, Wang Hu led his men to work on repairs, and the defects of the convoy became obvious at this time.
The blood-red sun cast long shadows across the snowfield, and the temperature began to drop sharply.
Wang Hu, along with a few survivors who knew a little about mechanics, were tinkering around the back of the pickup truck, trying to complete the necessary repairs before the bitter cold completely engulfed everything.
Tashan used his petrified hands as gravity machinery, which was quite effective.
Su Su continued practicing her boxing, seemingly even more intensely than before. Her punches stirred up endless snowstorms, their power far surpassing anything she had achieved before.
Night fell again, and the candlelight flickered in the makeshift snow cave, illuminating the tired faces of the group.
Many ordinary survivors began to hug their knees and bury their faces in their hands, crying. The continuous high-intensity encounters and long journeys had exhausted everyone in the convoy, both physically and mentally.
Yao Yao, on the other hand, nestled in Wang Hu's arms, looking at everyone with a bright and energetic expression. Perhaps she was still naive, or perhaps she was already used to it.
The dim candlelight provided very little warmth, and some of the exhausted survivors began to hug each other for warmth before falling into a deep sleep.
After checking everyone's condition, Fu Xiaojian finally walked over to Xu Si's "Messenger of Melting Wax" and knocked on the car window.
Xiao Luo warmed himself by the candlelight in the cave, and he also longed to talk to Brother Dao.
But he couldn't go. Brother Fu and Brother Dao clearly had something to talk about, and he had to be sensible.
Xu Si lowered the car window, and warmth flowed out. Fu Xiaojian was holding the [Stone Statue Heart] he had traded for from the Magical Circus, stroking it in his hand.
Fu Xiaojian's voice, "Old Xu," carried a barely perceptible hoarseness and urgency.
"The convoy's fuel can only last for half a day at most. We must seize every opportunity to improve our strength. Help me out, I doubt you'd even consider my current supplies, but you'll have priority in choosing my supplies from now on."
"No need. I had other gains on the snowfield. Consider this payment as deducting your share."
Xu Si currently has 7400 purification points, so helping out once won't cause him any serious harm.
Moreover, there are too many strange things on this snowy plain, so increasing the convoy's resources will also ensure their safety.
"Two different things! That was your own gain after the convoy left, so it's yours. As for that brass knuckles, they could be considered part of the convoy, but Su Su is wearing them now, so you don't owe me any share!" Fu Xiaojian said seriously.
In the past two days, he has not mentioned a word about Xu Si covering the rear, but his guilt has not diminished at all.
Even though he knew that might be the most reasonable choice, he would have done the same if he were in his shoes.
However, saying something and doing it are two different things.
Xu Si not only did it, but also planned to give the team a share of the profits, which Xu Si refused, no matter how thick-skinned he was.
Xu Si was somewhat surprised by Fu Xiaojian's persistence.
"Okay, I can help you out once. If the caravan gets a strange drop next time, I'll give you a quota instead," Xu Si said.
"Thank you!" Fu Xiaojian breathed a sigh of relief.
After the old steward died, he had no trump card to save his life. After discussing with Xu Si, he decided to turn it into a strange object - the Stone Statue Puppet.
"I'll give this to you before I leave tomorrow," Xu Si said, taking the stone statue of the mysterious heart.
Fu Xiaojian let out a heavy sigh of relief, his tense shoulders slumped slightly, and a look of weary relief appeared on his face: "Thank you."
Without saying another word, he turned and walked into the snow cave, his figure appearing somewhat lonely in the dim light of the candle fire and the pale snow.
Xu Si closed the car window, shutting out the cold and noise from the outside world.
The car was warm and cozy, a world apart from the icy, snowy landscape outside.
He stroked the heavy stone in his hand, which seemed to be formed from countless compressed stone powders and strange energy, feeling the traces of energy contained within it.
[Mysterious Drop Found: Stone Statue's Heart]
[Can be upgraded to the rare item - Stone Statue Puppet]
[Estimated Purification Points Consumption: 1500]
[Upgrade?]
"yes!"
[Purification Points -1500, Remaining Purification Points: 5900]
[The artifact is in production; estimated time: 6 hours]
A heavy, obscure energy fluctuation emanated from the [Stone Statue Heart].
Countless fine and intricate dark lines emerge on the grayish-white stone surface, slowly wriggling and intertwining like living things.
Xu Si seemed to feel a deep, suppressed roar from ancient times emanating from the [Stone Statue Heart] in his hand. An invisible gravitational field spread out from it, causing the "Melting Wax Messenger" vehicle to sink slightly.
"That's interesting!"
Upgrading the Stone Statue Puppet only requires 1500 points, while my Ice Heart cost 2500 points, so there seems to be a difference.
He carefully placed the undergoing [Stone Statue Heart] on the passenger seat to prevent it from making any noise during the manufacturing process.
After doing all this, he leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.
The continuous high-intensity battles, ability usage, and artifact creation had left him feeling somewhat mentally exhausted.
He closed his eyes, distracted by absorbing the energy drawn by the "Star Anchor," while reviewing in his mind everything that had happened since entering the snowfield.
Ice-eroded salamanders, glacial salamanders, bear attacks, bizarre high-level sequences... the danger of this snowfield far exceeds that of any region we have passed through before.
"I must improve my strength as soon as possible..." He reaffirmed this thought.
Even with his current Sequence 2 and two powerful artifacts, he's still not enough on this snowy plain.
He glanced at the remaining 5900 purification points on the system interface and pondered how to use them.
Should we continue accumulating materials and wait for the right ones to upgrade "Wax Messenger"? Or should we use them to strengthen ourselves and try to reach Sequence 3?
Sequence 3, and so far he hasn't felt anything at all. Not to mention barriers or bottlenecks.
"Perhaps... we should try the sequence enhancement potion again?"
However, he truly longed for that kind of pain.
Indeed, only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one endure even greater hardships.