214: Chapter 214: The Alliance of NATO Gods

The wind and snow were heavy. Shen Xiaochuan leaned against the giant wolf's corpse. He pulled a terminal from his chest with his left hand; the screen was black. He wiped it with his sleeve and pressed it a few times with stiff fingers, but there was no response.

He bit down on his mask, clamped the terminal between his knee and thigh, freed his left hand to rub it for warmth, and then pressed the power button again.

This time, it lit up.

There was no signal. The public channel was full of static, sounding like rustling snow. He opened the settings, switched to an encrypted channel, and entered a string of numbers. This was a contact code known only to veteran players.

The page redirected, and several names appeared, all of whom had been online recently but rarely moved.

He stared at one of them: North Latitude 43° Watchman.

This person had sent a message three days ago: "Prey escaped, Believers heavily injured."

He clicked on another: Hemlock Forest Sentry. This person had been warned yesterday by the System that "resource reserves are below the safety line."

The third was Eye of the White Cliff; their coordinates had always been south of the ice field and had never entered the core zone.

Shen Xiaochuan clicked into each one and opened the private message box. Typing was slow; his left hand wouldn't obey him, and he kept making mistakes. He deleted the first sentence, "I need help," and retyped:

"I found a perfect grade exotic beast corpse at the East Cliff; the mission hasn't been settled yet. I want to form a temporary team. Spoils will be divided by contribution. Just this once."

He sent it to the three people.

After two minutes, a red dot popped up.

【North Latitude 43° Watchman】 replied: "Are you talking about a Frost Giant Wolf? You killed it alone?"

Shen Xiaochuan didn't reply immediately. He knew the other party didn't believe him. Who would believe someone took down a perfect grade exotic beast alone in a blizzard? He was also injured and his equipment was broken; giving the wrong location could cost him his life.

He pulled out the recorder from his backpack. It was a small device that automatically activated during combat, capturing the last thirty seconds: the spear piercing the artery and the giant wolf falling. He took a screenshot and another of the mission bar—'Sacrifice 50 perfect grade exotic beasts /5'—and sent them over together.

The other side was silent for a few seconds.

【North Latitude 43° Watchman】: "Where are you located?"

"Northwest side of East Cliff, seventeen meters below the snow slope. There's a collapsed watchtower behind it where you can see metal reflections."

"I'll send a Believer to check first. If it's true, I can join. But I demand two commanders; it can't be just you calling the shots."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the message, his finger hovering over the screen.

He knew this was a test. The other party was afraid of being cheated, afraid of dying. But he couldn't move now; he could only wait for others to come, or wait to die.

He replied: "Fine. You designate one, then choose another from the others to command together. I also agree to you sending someone to the scene first to check the situation."

Just after sending it, another message popped up.

【Hemlock Forest Sentry】: "I saw the invitation too. But I have a condition—you must pay five thousand faith points as a deposit first, otherwise I don't believe you can distribute fairly."

Shen Xiaochuan frowned.

Five thousand points was not a small amount. He gained three points per second, taking about three hours to reach ten thousand. If he spent it now and they backed out, he wouldn't even be able to afford medicine.

But he couldn't refuse.

He replied: "A deposit won't work. But I can let you see my faith points growth record for ten consecutive minutes; the data cannot be altered. If you quit halfway, the items distributed later will be deducted double."

The other party didn't reply.

Shen Xiaochuan put down the terminal; his exhaled breath formed a layer of mist on the screen. He reached up to wipe it away and continued staring.

Five minutes later, 【Hemlock Forest Sentry】 replied: "Fine. I'll send someone. If you're lying, this isn't over."

Next was a message from 【Eye of the White Cliff】: "I don't have many people, I can only send one scout. But I have a Cold Domain Tracking Scroll that can help you find the next target."

Shen Xiaochuan's eyes lit up.

In this kind of weather, tracking scrolls were very rare. Someone willing to bring one out meant they were sincere about cooperating.

He replied: "The scroll counts as an Advanced contribution, with priority for exchange during settlement. You can hand the scroll to any teammate who arrives at the scene now."

All three agreed.

He breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders slumping slightly. But he had no time to relax and immediately began the next step.

He opened the map, marked his location, and set it to shared, visible only to these three IDs. Then he added a sentence: "Please each send at least one person with a medical kit and a communication repeater. My right arm is fractured, and my left hand isn't very flexible; I can't move the corpse myself."

After sending it, he leaned back, holding the terminal in his left hand while his right hung down.

The wind made his face ache. The snow flew horizontally, rustling against the wolf fur. He looked up at the sky; it was a hazy gray. The iron frame in the distance was no longer visible.

He touched the pendant around his neck.

The copper gear was stained with blood and melted snow, making it a bit slippery. He rubbed it with his thumb, remembering when he was a child and his father, while fixing a car, placed this on him with greasy hands, saying: "Xiaochuan, a machine can be fixed if it's broken; as long as a person doesn't stop, there's a way out."

Now he was like that machine that was about to stop.

But he hadn't stopped yet.

A few minutes later, the terminal vibrated.

【North Latitude 43° Watchman】: "My Believer has set out, estimated to arrive in two hours. He will bring a repeater and a heat pack. Additionally, I nominate 'Hemlock Forest Sentry' as the second commander; do you have any objections?"

Shen Xiaochuan thought for a moment and replied: "No objections."

The Alliance was tentatively established.

Just as he was about to close the page, another message suddenly popped up.

【Unknown ID · Auroras Edge】: "I want to participate too. I don't have much combat power, but I have two cold-resistant mechanical Puppets that can carry and drag. Can I join?"

Shen Xiaochuan was stunned for a moment.

This wasn't someone he had contacted. It meant the news had spread.

He thought quickly: an extra person meant extra strength. But more people also meant things could easily get messy. Especially in a temporary team, everyone was afraid of losing out.

He replied: "You can join. But you must follow orders; the first task is to help transport the corpse. Your Puppets count as double combat power, with extra points during settlement."

The other party quickly agreed.

Shen Xiaochuan pulled the newcomer into the group and re-sent the mission description and distribution rules. He wrote very clearly:

On-site inspections are the responsibility of those who arrive first, at their own risk;

Command authority belongs to the two coordinators; important decisions require tripartite agreement;

Resources are distributed by actual contribution, including four categories: reconnaissance, combat, transport, and support;

This cooperation is limited to the current mission and will automatically dissolve upon completion.

After sending it, he let out a long breath.

His fingers were shaking slightly, not just from the cold, but because he had been tense for too long and finally relaxed.

He knew these people didn't trust him. They were just short on resources and achievements and wanted to survive. And he had the corpse of a perfect grade exotic beast and unsettled mission authority—those were his bargaining chips.

So he wasn't afraid they wouldn't come.

What he feared was that they would arrive, but he wouldn't last until that moment.

The frostbite on his leg began to feel hot, a precursor to tissue necrosis. The injection he had just taken could only hold out for a little while. He checked his backpack; only half a piece of dry rations remained, and the water in his canteen had long since frozen.

He held the terminal to his chest, trying to keep it warm.

Another ten minutes passed, and 【Hemlock Forest Sentry】 messaged: "My people have set out. But I'm warning you, if this place is already being watched by other predators, we're just going there to die."

Shen Xiaochuan replied: "A wolf pack was here. They knew I was injured, so they withdrew. Now they're taking turns watching, wearing down my stamina. But I guess they won't act easily—it's too cold, they need to save energy too."

【North Latitude 43° Watchman】 chimed in: "Meaning, you're more useful to them alive?"

"Correct. As long as I don't die, they can wait for me to collapse. So I must move the corpse before they change their minds."

【Eye of the White Cliff】 sent a location: "My tracking scroll is activated. There are life fluctuations within forty kilometers to the southeast. Not necessarily strong, but definitely alive."

Shen Xiaochuan looked at that red dot.

Forty kilometers wasn't far. If the team gathered smoothly, they could arrive by noon tomorrow.

Provided—they actually came.

He replied: "We'll talk when you arrive. What I need most now are the repeater and medical support. Who can be faster?"

【Auroras Edge】: "My Puppets are moving at full speed, estimated to arrive in an hour and a half. I can remotely control them to build a windbreak for you first."

Shen Xiaochuan nodded and replied with an "Okay."

Time passed slowly. The terminal's battery dropped by eight percent. He didn't dare leave it on, using it sparingly. He only lit it up every few minutes to see if there were new messages.

The first to arrive was the Believer of 【North Latitude 43° Watchman】.

It was a young man in a thick fur coat, carrying a box and holding a metal rod. He walked to the corpse, circled it twice, used a tool to scrape a blood sample, and put it into a tube. Then he raised the repeater, adjusting the angle toward the sky.

The signal connected.

He opened the communication: "Target confirmed, it's a perfect grade exotic beast. Residual body heat remains; death occurred no more than six hours ago. Our side accepts the cooperation."

Shen Xiaochuan replied: "Received. Is the repeater installed?"

"Installing it now. The heat pack is also ready; I'll send it to you once the windbreak is built."

Ten minutes later, he saw an arched metal plate being propped up in the distant snow, followed by a second and a third, forming a simple shelter. Two people were busy inside—one was the young man from before, and the other wore a dark gray cloak, likely sent by 【Hemlock Forest Sentry】.

They fixed the repeater to the top and connected the power. A moment later, the terminal signal was full.

Shen Xiaochuan could finally project the image onto the large screen.

Several new messages jumped out in the group.

【North Latitude 43° Watchman】: "Our representative has arrived; preliminary risk assessment is controllable. Recommend starting transport as soon as possible."

【Hemlock Forest Sentry】 demanded to check the corpse's integrity, especially the core organs, emphasizing that this would affect the final value. Shen Xiaochuan had the people on-site take photos and send them over. The photos showed a clean arterial rupture, intact internal organs, and the crystal core in the chest cavity, appearing light blue.

【Auroras Edge】's Puppets also arrived. Two three-meter-tall iron fellows with crawler legs, telescopic arms, and toolboxes on their backs. They began clearing snow and reinforcing the shelter.

Shen Xiaochuan looked at the screen, and his heart finally felt a bit of warmth.

Not physically, but emotionally.

He knew these people weren't here to save him.

They were here to share the benefits.

It didn't matter.

As long as they came, he was no longer alone.

He typed out the final sentence:

"Attention everyone. I am now officially initiating a joint hunting request. Objective: recover the corpse and find the next perfect grade exotic beast. Operation codename 'Icebreaker'. Those who agree, please reply with confirmation."

Green checkmarks jumped out one after another.

【North Latitude 43° Watchman】: Confirmed.

【Hemlock Forest Sentry】: Confirmed.

【Eye of the White Cliff】: Confirmed.

【Auroras Edge】: Confirmed.

Shen Xiaochuan pressed send, and the agreement was archived.

The Alliance was formed.

He leaned against the corpse, slowly putting down the terminal with his left hand while his right still hung in mid-air, not daring to touch anything.

The wind was still blowing, and the snow was still falling.

But he was no longer counting faith points.

He looked toward the shelter, watching that emergency light turn on, like a star that refused to go out.