As soon as Yun Luohe had left, Bai Sha’s teammates decided to scout around as well, looking for prey or perhaps a hidden treasure cave.It didn’t take long before they stumbled across the traces Yun Luohe had left behind.After all, she had taken down several ostriches—there was a mess of bloodstains, scattered feathers, and spider silk.Clear signs that someone had been here recently.Bai Sha’s expression darkened, and the teammate beside her looked surprised.“Captain, looks like someone beat us here.”Bai Sha said, “Not necessarily earlier—they might have just arrived.”“What do we do? Should we go check it out?”“Let’s regroup first and discuss it. Anyone capable of hunting ostriches is probably no pushover.”—Before long, the two sides met face-to-face.The teams stood across from each other in the oasis, tension rising like drawn blades.Bai Sha’s group carried themselves with far more aggression.“Who are you people? Why are you here?”“This oasis is ours—we found it first. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave now!”One of Bai Sha’s teammates glared, weapon raised.“This oasis doesn’t belong to you,” Mu Zitang shot back. “Why can’t we be here?”Bai Sha stepped forward. “Don’t be rash—no need for a fight. But since we found the oasis first, there should be an order of priority.”Yang Mian said, “And who says you were here first? Got a timestamped screenshot? We’ve been here a while. Looks like you just got here.”Before the words were even finished, one of Bai Sha’s hot-tempered teammates made the first move.“I said it—so what? Let’s fight for it. Winner takes the oasis.”At that, Yun Luohe’s lips curled faintly. She stepped forward. “Fine. How do you want to fight? One-on-one, or all at once?”Bai Sha’s eyes fixed on Yun Luohe, sensing danger in her presence.Still, she wanted to test this group’s strength.She didn’t want to share the oasis’s resources with anyone.But she also knew that if someone had found the place already, more were bound to come.Whoever took the best spot first would have the advantage.And only by knowing one’s enemy could you prepare for them.If this team was weak, they could simply drive them off.If they were strong, perhaps they could join forces to drive away future challengers.Time was short today—they needed to act fast.So Bai Sha allowed her teammate’s provocation to stand, sending a message in the team chat to have their strongest fighter challenge Yun Luohe’s group.A man from her team suddenly hurled his spear at Mu Zitang.Fortunately, Mu Zitang reacted fast, sidestepping so the spear grazed his shoulder and buried itself in a date palm.Yun Luohe’s eyes went cold, her longbow snapping to full draw.The arrow flew like lightning toward the attacker. He barely had time to pull up a shield, but his arm was still cut open, blood spilling onto the ground.“Since you’ve resorted to a sneak attack… I won’t hold back either.”Yun Luohe called to Mu Zitang and Yang Mian, “Move.”Cheng Xuening and Qin Sisi, being less combat-capable, stayed behind.This wasn’t the time for them to join in—if they got hurt or captured, they’d only be a liability.Yun Luohe was confident she and her pets could handle this group.Still, for safety, she let Mu Zitang and Yang Mian join in.Qin Sisi and Cheng Xuening didn’t just stand idle—Cheng Xuening released her tree monkey, which scrambled up a tree and pelted the enemy with fruit. The nimble creature couldn’t be caught, and every throw struck someone’s face dead-on.Meanwhile, Qin Sisi used her animal affinity to summon insects and bees, disrupting the enemy formation.Yun Luohe didn’t even release Yúntūn—just her hunting knife was enough to take down two of Bai Sha’s stronger fighters.The rest of the team soon faltered, retreating in disarray.Mu Zitang, still riled from earlier, only grew fiercer. Even with the enemy already losing, his strikes became heavier, more relentless.Watching from the side, Bai Sha was secretly shocked.She’d thought her team was strong—but Yun Luohe’s was formidable. If this continued, her people would suffer badly.“Stop!” Bai Sha suddenly shouted. “Enough—there’s no real grudge here. No need to go this far. Since we’ve both found the oasis, let’s cooperate. There’s more than enough resources for two teams—one team can’t take it all anyway.”Oh, now she wanted cooperation.Yun Luohe’s smile was faint, her eyes unreadable. “You say that now, but you’ve already struck first.”Bai Sha wiped the sweat from her forehead, forcing a friendly expression. “It’s hard for everyone out here—no need to fight to the death. I have a proposal—want to hear it?”“Not interested.”Instead of taking offense, Bai Sha inclined her head. “We were in the wrong. I apologize on their behalf.”She spoke earnestly. “If we keep fighting, we’ll both take losses. Better to gather resources together and grow stronger.”Yun Luohe studied her eyes, fingers idly stroking her knife hilt, weighing the pros and cons.The others left the decision to her.The oasis fell silent, the only sound the rustling of palm leaves in the breeze.It was true—keeping this up wasn’t wise. Even if Yun Luohe could handle them, her teammates might not, especially if the enemy had hidden escape tools or trump cards.Better not to risk a major fight here.And if another team swooped in while they were worn down, it’d be a disaster.Seeing her hesitate, Bai Sha pressed on: “My team’s good at traps and fortifications. Yours is strong in combat. Together, we’d complement each other. With more and more players finding the coordinates, this place will soon be contested territory. If we don’t join forces, neither of us will get much. It’s already late today—we can leave and meet up first thing tomorrow.”Yang Mian nudged Yun Luohe’s arm and murmured, “She’s right. We don’t have enough hands. The underground river’s unexplored, and we haven’t finished harvesting the dates.”After a moment’s thought, Yun Luohe said, “Fine, we’ll cooperate. But since you lost, you follow my rules.”Bai Sha nodded immediately. “Agreed. Say it.”“First—everything near this river, including what’s in it, goes to us first. We’ll divide by that crooked palm tree over there—we take the east side, you take the west. Second—neither side damages resources in the other’s zone. If there’s danger, we help each other. Third and most important—any resource theft or attacks count as breaking the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) agreement. If you’ve got something to discuss, come to me. If you spot another team, report it immediately.”After a brief pause, Bai Sha agreed. “Alright. Just make sure you stick to the same rules.”With the deal struck, the tension eased. Bai Sha’s people put away their weapons and even shook hands with Yun Luohe’s team.Yun Luohe assigned Qin Sisi and Cheng Xuening to keep picking dates, while Yang Mian and Mu Zitang searched the underground river for resources.Bai Sha sent her own team to gather elsewhere.After everyone had dispersed, Bai Sha stopped Yun Luohe to discuss tomorrow’s meeting time.Their time in the desert was running out, and Bai Sha’s group would be leaving soon.Yun Luohe calculated that they’d best come early tomorrow—this oasis would take at least two or three days to strip clean.—The underground river lay hidden behind thick brush, its clear water flowing over smooth pebbles. Now and then, silver-white fish darted by.Yun Luohe knelt and scooped some up—it wasn’t like the spring water, just ordinary fresh water. But even that was valuable in summer. If there was time later, she could collect some.Mu Zitang and Yang Mian set a few fish and shrimp traps in the shallows, planning to check them tomorrow.Yun Luohe went deeper along the bank.The river grew deeper, and following it, she found a cave.It was just wide enough for one person to enter.After sensing faint danger with [Scanning Eye], she hesitated, then called for Mu Zitang and Yang Mian.When no one came after a while and with daylight fading, she decided to check it herself.While she entered, two more teams reached the oasis’s edge—running straight into Bai Sha’s people.Bai Sha quickly sent someone to fetch Yun Luohe.Inside, Yun Luohe found she didn’t even need her torch—the cave glowed.The river here was blue-green, faintly luminous. The glow came from a film of pale-blue light on the water’s surface.On the riverbed lay semi-transparent blue crystals, swaying gently in the current.She took out a pickaxe to dig one up.But the steel head wouldn’t even scratch it.Strange.If steel couldn’t work, she’d need an obsidian pickaxe.Switching tools, she was able to mine it.[Blue Crystal Ore: Rare mineral. Used to craft high-grade weapons and armor.]Another high-tier mineral found.After only a few swings, her mining skill leveled up.At Lv.10, the system rewarded her with an advanced ore detector.She was about to dive for more when a huge black shadow slid through the water.“A shark!”A massive, hungry shark patrolled the river, its four- to five-meter body cutting through the current. Its teeth glinted coldly in the light, sending a chill down the spine.There were sharks here.Yun Luohe was both startled and pleased.Sharkskin was exactly what she needed.

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