Dawn broke, and the Undead scurried back to the fortress. Li Ziyu glanced out the window, looking at the spot on the platform where the Minotaur Tribe was resting, conflicted about whether to enter Hibernation Mode.
’Hibernation Mode, to put it bluntly, is when all the Undead go to rest and the Mobile Fortress sinks underground. But now there’s a group of Minotaurs on the platform. If it sinks, won’t they be buried alive?’
’But just staying out in the open isn’t an option either. Not to ntion, the Level 2 Fortress is a much bigger target than it was before the upgrade. Sunshine Everywhere isn’t an environnt the Undead enjoy; it would weaken them.’
After a mont’s hesitation, Li Ziyu decided to give it a try. If Hibernation Mode really did pull the Minotaurs underground, he would stop the process imdiately. It would also prove that other Races weren’t suited to live on the Mobile Fortress.
He initiated Hibernation Mode!
The Mobile Fortress shuddered violently. The Minotaurs, who had just fallen asleep after a restless night, were jolted awake. They stared, wide-eyed and panicked, at their surroundings. Then, they witnessed an incredible sight: all the buildings were moving, bones were shifting, and the structures were retracting downward as if they were collapsing.
Li Ziyu let out a long sigh of relief.
’So when other Races are on the Mobile Fortress, Hibernation Mode takes on a different form?’
Li Ziyu stood at the window, gazing at the scene outside as realization dawned on him.
The buildings retracted underground, but the surface remained as the Bone Plate Platform. Those living on it could go about their lives as usual, and they wouldn’t be taken underground like the Undead.
The Minotaurs had only just arrived at the Undead Fortress and were unfamiliar with everything. Seeing what looked like the sky falling and the earth caving in, they were instantly filled with terror and bewildernt.
’Is the foothold we just found already gone?’
They couldn’t understand. Everything had been peaceful when they went to sleep, and they hadn’t seen any enemies. They wondered what kind of attack could have possibly struck the Undead to make all the buildings collapse.
Mumu and Tas Tuling were just as bewildered. Amid the commotion, they saw Liu Xingxing run out of his two-story wooden building.
"Liu Xingxing!" Mumu hurried over, grabbed him, and pulled him toward the Minotaur encampnt. "What in the world is going on? Are we under attack?"
Liu Xingxing glanced around. He had seen the Undead enter Hibernation Mode before, though this ti was different.
"Relax, relax. We’re not under attack. Everything’s normal," Liu Xingxing said with a nonchalant wave, his expression completely calm.
"But... this..." Mumu gestured at their surroundings, trailing off.
"Don’t worry, it’s fine. Trust , it’ll be over soon." Liu Xingxing reached out to pat Mumu’s shoulder reassuringly but found the Minotaur was too tall. He could only reach his chest. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he hopped up to properly pat Mumu’s shoulder.
Soon, all the Undead Architecture had sunk underground. The platform grew quiet, now completely empty. With their view suddenly wide open, the Minotaurs could only stare, dumbfounded.
They finally understood why legends always claid the Undead ca and went without a trace. Of course no one could ever find them if they could just hide underground.
Liu Xingxing scanned the wide-open platform, where only the Minotaurs and his own Mobile Fortress remained. He then turned back to Mumu. "See? No problem. Don’t worry so much. We’re very strong."
As he spoke, he winked at Mumu and gave him a thumbs-up.
Mumu scratched his head, his expression still one of confusion. Liu Xingxing explained that the Undead and the buildings would reappear at night. If nothing went wrong, they would even get to watch the structures rise from the ground, so there was no reason to be alard.
"During the day, you can move about freely. Do what you need to, do what you want. No one will bother you. Life with the Undead is pretty laid-back," Liu Xingxing said with a smile.
For example, what he did every day after the Undead entered Hibernation Mode was head out to roam and hunt for treasure. He had already marked several treasure spots on his system map. However, Li Ziyu was currently focused on the Swamp Graveyard, so Liu Xingxing couldn’t drag him along. Since he wasn’t strong enough to go alone, he had to put those plans on hold and wait for another chance.
The Tabu Tribe had migrated to the Undead Fortress, but they hadn’t brought much with them. To survive, they would need a great deal of supplies, including food, fresh water, and materials like stone and wood for rebuilding. They couldn’t just sleep on the Bone Plate forever.
Although the Bone Plate was very flat, it was still made of bone and was cold to sleep on at night. Sleeping on it for extended periods could easily lead to illness. They needed to find so hay or thatch to lay down to make sleeping more comfortable.
From his observations the previous night, Mumu had noticed a few small details. Back in their tribal holand, small insects had always bothered them at night. They would often wake up with several painful, itchy bites that required herbal poultices.
But after arriving at the Undead Fortress, that annoyance was gone. There wasn’t a single trace of an insect on the platform; you couldn’t find one even if you searched. Insects may not be intelligent, but they have survival instincts. The aura of death sent them scurrying away; they wouldn’t dare co near.
In so ways, living on the Undead Fortress was much more comfortable than surviving in the wilderness.
"Alright, that’s that. It’s morning, so I should get going." Liu Xingxing glanced at the sun slowly rising on the horizon, said his piece, and ran toward his own Mobile Fortress. The two-story wooden building detached from the Undead Fortress, accelerated, and sped off into the wilderness, leaving Mumu staring in a daze.
’These Humans are so strange. How does each of them have a house that can move?’
He couldn’t figure it out, nor could he be bothered to dwell on it. He went to soothe his tribesn, telling them to rest a little longer. Once the sun was fully up, they would go out and search for supplies.
Minotaurs weren’t like the Undead, who had no need to eat or drink. Minotaurs did. They couldn’t possibly expect the Master of the Undead to provide everything for them; they had to go out and find it themselves.
「The day passed quickly, and only the afterglow of sunset remained.」
On the horizon, the Treasure-Hunting Catman Mobile Fortress kicked up a cloud of dust as it returned. Having learned his lesson, Liu Xingxing had been more cautious while wandering the wilderness for treasure. He had avoided any trouble this ti and made it back safely, docking once again with the Undead Fortress.
After a good sleep, a al, and so ti spent hidden away scrolling through chat logs, Li Ziyu felt it was about ti and gave the order to deactivate Hibernation Mode.
The platform trembled. Skeletons erged from the ground, stacking and interlocking in layers, extending ever upward until they ford into bone structures. The tall Castle Main Tower once again stood upon the Wasteland.
Closing the system interface, Li Ziyu stretched lazily and walked over to the window. He hadn’t received any system alarms; the day had been peaceful. He looked out toward the Tabu Tribe’s location.
’Whoa, they’ve made a lot of changes!’
A number of thatched huts had been erected. Mumu had led his people to find the branches for them during the day. Ti had been short, so the materials weren’t as good as what they were used to in their old tribal lands, but they were fine for temporary shelter.
As the platform began to transform again, the Minotaurs stopped what they were doing and stared blankly at the buildings rising around them.
Though they were few in number, they brought a spark of life to the Undead Fortress.
’It’s not a bad feeling.’
The last glimr of sunset vanished from the horizon, and Darkness returned to the land.
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