Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Treewood Town (Bonus Chapter)

The station’s enforced rule was that survivors could not kill each other.

In other words, to stay ahead of everyone and complete the mission, every second counted.

Bai Cheng quickly finished dressing, her brows furrowed.

This implied that the immense strength advantage her two employees provided might be rendered useless within this station.

Aside from them, what else did Bai Cheng have?

She believed that she was no different from any other survivor.

But Bai Cheng wasn’t entirely disheartened. Surely, this Pioneer Trial and its special station couldn’t truly rely on sheer luck to clear, right?

She refused to believe that.

When Bai Cheng turned the doorknob again, the wooden door clicked open.

But just as she was about to step out, Zi Yuan’s voice called from behind.

"Young Lady, the information on the screen has changed."

Bai Cheng paused, then immediately turned back to look at the system screen beside her.

[Treewood Town is a settlement inhabited by treefolk. They reject all outsiders. Once an intruder is discovered, they will hunt the intruders down without end!]

[Would you like to purchase a treefolk mask? (10 Infinite Coins each)]

[Item Description: Wearing the mask will make the treefolk regard you as one of their own.]

[Warning: Multiple rooms in the town have system screens available for use. However, never use them in front of the treefolk. Otherwise, even if you are disguised, you will still be exposed!]

"All this talk just to make me spend money," Bai Cheng muttered, but she didn’t hesitate to make the purchase.

After all, she still didn’t know the strength or numbers of the treefolk.

She was well aware that both Chi Yan and Zi Yuan were powerful, but she wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that they were invincible.

At the very least, she should secure the pass before activating ’I don’t eat beef’ mode.

Still, this small detail forcing her to buy treefolk masks reminded her that this station seemed to operate on a principle of wealth equals power.

"Assets means strength..." Bai Cheng realized.

She bought three masks, though it was hard to believe that the crudely stitched-together dried resin could even be considered merchandise.

Once they were all wearing them, Bai Cheng decisively opened the wooden door and stepped outside.

The sky was overcast, with dark clouds looming overhead, but it was still bright enough. The air was unusually fresh, like the air after a rainstorm, carrying a cool, invigorating dampness.

In the distance, twisted black trees loomed like jagged claws. However, what Bai Cheng saw before her was an entirely different scene, one brimming with vibrant life.

"It’s near Muddy Swamp?" Bai Cheng blinked in surprise.

In front of her stood towering ancient trees, their canopies blotting out the sky. The ground was clean and well-kept, covered in lush grass.

As for the rooms the system mentioned, they were actually hollowed out treehouses carved into the massive trunks. Some even had second floors, while others were perched high up on thick branches.

Rather than a town, it was more accurate to call this a primeval forest.

But... Bai Cheng looked around and saw signs of civilization everywhere.

Standing on the ’street’, she finally caught sight of the treefolk moving about and froze for a moment.

They were nothing like what she had imagined. They were not slow-moving, branch-covered creatures resembling plants.

They had nearly perfect humanoid forms, but their brown skin was covered in bark-like cracks, and the tangled green branches atop their heads resembled hair.

Their mannerisms were also eerily human-like.

There were elders, children, and even soldiers clad in armor woven from branches, patrolling with weapons in hand.

Bai Cheng stood still for a moment, watching as a treefolk passed by without noticing anything amiss. Only then did she relax.

Given the stark differences between humans and treefolk, even with masks on, other survivors would still be easily identifiable.

But after scanning the area, Bai Cheng found no trace of her targets.

"They must still be inside the rooms," she murmured, then turned her gaze to the nearest treehouse and moved without hesitation.

BANG!

Since the wooden door seemed locked, Bai Cheng kicked it open with brute force.

But the sight inside immediately made her freeze in awkward silence.

Two treefolk stood intertwined, their branch-like limbs coiled around each other, with a small green sapling seemingly sprouting from one of their bodies.

...What are they doing?

The two treefolk slowly turned their heads mid-’entanglement’, their hollow eye sockets locking onto the intruder at the door.

However, they didn’t speak, leaving the room in eerie silence.

Bai Cheng’s lips twitched. "...Sorry. Carry on."

Despite her words, she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she boldly scanned the interior for anything resembling a pass.

Unfortunately, she found nothing.

At the same time, the screen by the door flickered with new messages.

[You have earned the hostility of two treefolk!]

[Spend 5 Infinite Coins to ease their hatred.]

[Spend 10 Infinite Coins to hire them for information gathering.]

[Spend 30 Infinite Coins to hire them as bodyguards.]

[Note: You must first attract their attention before hiring them!]

[Spend 5 Infinite Coins to rent this treehouse...] 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"You can do that?" Bai Cheng was genuinely surprised.

It was no exaggeration to say that money could truly buy anything here.

But fearing that she might give herself away, Bai Cheng only glanced at the screen before quickly looking away.

After all, she was still being stared down by two very displeased treefolk.

Finding nothing useful, she backed out of the room.

But the moment she stepped outside, she spotted four survivors emerging together in the distance.

The leader swaggered into the middle of the road, cleared his throat, and suddenly shouted—

"HELLO, EVERYONE! I’M THUNDERBOLT OLD WANG! HOW ARE YOU ALL DOING?"

Instantly, every treefolk in the vicinity turned to look at him.

But since he was wearing a mask, he didn’t trigger any rules, so the treefolk merely glanced at him before ignoring him again.

Immediately after, the group retreated back into their treehouse.

Bai Cheng frowned. "Quite smart."

But now, another thought struck her. If survivors and employees couldn’t break the rules, what about hired treefolk?

Before she could ponder further, however, she noticed the treefolk around her freezing in place.

Then, all their gazes snapped toward her.

From behind the crowd of treefolk came a cold, mocking voice—

"If we just eliminate the Pioneer, won’t we get the rewards directly?"