"Is the safe zone still fighting the monster horde?"
Under the giant tree, Yang Yuan vaguely heard gunfire and looked in the direction of the safe zone with curiosity.
But the gunfire was rapid and short-lived, quickly coming to a stop.
"Yang Yuan." Zhao Jiayan called out from beside the rock.
"What's up?" Yang Yuan turned to look and found the rock slightly damp.
But that was it, no water droplets had formed.
Zhao Jiayan's face didn't look good, "The cooler's temperature isn't low enough, so water droplets can't form. This method of collecting water probably won't work."
"So as long as the temperature is low enough, it should work, right?" Yang Yuan asked.
"That should be the case."
Zhao Jiayan nodded, "I've only seen methods like this on survival shows, I've never tried it myself. By the way..."
Suddenly her face lit up with joy, "We might be able to dig a hole to collect water. Dig a hole, place a container below, cover the top with a thin film..."
"Isn't that method supposed to pull water from the soil? The soil here is all cracked and dry."
Yang Yuan was somewhat familiar with that water collection method but wasn't sure.
"Then what should we do?" Zhao Jiayan was troubled.
Yang Yuan adopted a serious look and said, "We can't just keep running. Let's make a plan first, and improve our strength. As the saying goes, sharpening the axe won't delay the work of chopping firewood. Once we improve our strength, whether it's traveling or finding water, it'll be easier."
"What's the specific plan?" Zhao Jiayan asked expectantly.
Yang Yuan: "Wait."
"Wait?" Zhao Jiayan was stunned.
"While you help me make parts for a crossbow, wait for the people from the safe zone to come." Yang Yuan said.
Zhao Jiayan: "And then?"
"Then... buy an airplane."
"Huh?" Zhao Jiayan was confused.
Yang Yuan: "If possible, buy a drone, the kind with missiles. I'll modify it, then go kill the Drought Fiend to end this disaster it caused."
To be honest, if it were a natural disaster, he would have tolerated it.
But this disaster was caused by some creature, forcing him to be constantly on the move, struggling even for a sip of water. He didn't know when this life would end.
So he resolved to create something, upgrade it furiously, and then kill the monster.
All he wanted was a drink of water.
"Huh?"
Zhao Jiayan was dumbfounded, unable to resist touching Yang Yuan's forehead.
"I'm not feverish."
Yang Yuan removed her hand, "It's related to my abilities. As long as you understand, you don't need to know the details. The plan is simple: help me make as many crossbow parts as possible. Meanwhile, if the people from the safe zone come, we'll follow them. If they stop, we'll buy and modify a plane to eventually kill the Drought Fiend."
Zhao Jiayan saw Yang Yuan's serious expression, her heartbeat unconsciously quickened, and she asked excitedly, "Do you really have a way?"
"How would we know unless we try? We have a cooler now, so even if we lag behind a bit, we don't have to worry about getting burnt to death," said Yang Yuan.
Yang Yuan wasn't sure, but he believed that as long as he kept upgrading his weapons, he could definitely kill the Drought Fiend.
If he couldn't, it just meant his level wasn't high enough, so he would just continue upgrading.
From his inherited memories, the Drought Fiend could fly and burrow, so the best option was a flying tool.
An airplane was the best choice.
To avoid mutual destruction or underestimating the opponent's strength, a cruising drone was the safest bet.
Even in the event of the plane being destroyed, there would be no danger to oneself.
To be honest, he was curious to see what the Drought Fiend actually looked like.
In those inherited memories, he had never seen a Drought Fiend with his own eyes.
It was a terrifying thing, reportedly emitting intense light and heat, incinerating ordinary people who came near it to ash.
In myth, the Drought Fiend is female, reportedly a subordinate of the Yellow Emperor, or maybe even his daughter?
The Drought Fiend in this world probably isn't the same creature as the mythical one.
Because in this world, the Drought Fiends seem to be numerous, rather than a single entity.
"Alright, if you want to try, I'll go with you. My ability might not be helpful, but I can help you make the crossbow parts."
Right away, Zhao Jiayan took out her knife to help Yang Yuan make the crossbow components, "There's no good elastic material here, but dry vines can be used to make bowstrings for the crossbow."
"That's fine," Yang Yuan nodded, while looking back at the cooler, realizing that the cooler's experience hadn't increased at all.
'It seems it needs to be submerged in water to gain experience.'
He walked over and placed the cooler back in a water bag, keeping the water inside cool and letting the cooler gain experience.
"Yiyi, keep an eye on our things. Also, maintain vigilance and don't let anything approach us," he instructed Jiang Yiyi as he returned to making parts.
"Okay, Yiyi will be careful," Jiang Yiyi nodded earnestly.
As the sun climbed higher, the air temperature increased steadily, making the distant Wilderness Mountains appear distorted, as if the whole world was shimmering.
It was a phenomenon caused by the rampant burning of oxygen, leading to air distortion.
The increasing external heat affected the temperature within the cooler's radiation area, causing it to rise continuously.
During this time, quite a few lagging Superpower Users caught up and overtook them.
Though many were stopped or injured by the Earth Crawler's nest earlier, those seasoned in surviving the wilderness weren't easily wiped out.
About an hour later, the people from the safe zone caught up, their numbers around five or six thousand.
To Yang Yuan's surprise, despite the vast number, they moved swiftly, almost at a jog.
"Look, Yang Yuan," Zhao Jiayan pointed at the crowd, "They seem to be surrounded by some kind of light mist."
Indeed, Yang Yuan had noticed that all the people from the safe zone were shrouded in a thin mist.
Under such mist, everyone seemed a bit blurry, yet their movement speed appeared significantly enhanced.
Even ordinary people could jog in the scorching heat, moving through the Barbaric Forest with ease.
"It might be the ability of a powerful Superpower User, or possibly advanced technology developed by the military."
Yang Yuan marveled, "The military is impressive. This ability is definitely a divine artifact for leading large populations on the move."
"Those people are looking at us strangely," Zhao Jiayan remarked with a frown.
Yang Yuan followed her gaze and indeed saw that some people wore indifferent looks, some showed sympathy, and others sneered.
Most, however, were expressionless, treating them as strangers passing by.
In reality, it wasn't much different.
"Perhaps they think we'll die exposed to this increasing heat,"
Yang Yuan smiled faintly, unfazed and even slightly disdainful.
Because those from the safe zone were drenched in sweat, while they were still here 'enjoying the cool air.'
Zhao Jiayan couldn't help but smile, "They would never expect you to come up with a cooler that can affect the surrounding temperature. Should we follow them now?"