After the hustle and bustle, the city was completely silent, and the Doge's Palace remained the only light in the city.

Xiang Jiuxi turned his back to the light and came to the edge of the city.

He was leaving the city, not to escape, but because he knew that there was not only one city on the continent, and that he was going somewhere else to ask for help.

However, the accumulated darkness has given rise to many strange creatures, ranging from small scavengers that live in groups, to night hunters who move quickly, and even plants have begun to evolve in strange directions.

Without sunlight, plants cannot photosynthesize effectively, and most of them can only take nutrients from animals, so many "carnivorous" flowers have evolved, and their hunting methods are even more bizarre.

Xiang Jiuxi once saw a "Utama Borak tree" that disguised itself as food.

The Utambra tree is very large, with a grayish-black trunk and leaves, making it difficult to distinguish in the dark.

The fruit is very showy and grows into a variety of shapes, some like pears, some like grapes, and some people can even see the fruit in the shape of braised pork.

Not only that, but the fruit of Utamhara also emits a variety of strange fragrances that attract different animals.

However, their fruits grow high in the canopy, and in order to get them, you have to climb up the trunk.

This is an elaborate trap designed by predators, and as soon as it comes into contact with the trunk, it will become entangled in the branches and eventually become nutrients for the Utama Bharata tree.

There are also shrubs that voluntarily shed useless green leaves and used all their nutrients to grow their roots. Their roots can often extend down more than ten meters in order to absorb the rich minerals and sustain life.

This type of shrub is the most common in the wild, so it has become a favorite of many herbivores, and how to dig out the roots of the shrub is a compulsory course for all herbivores.

……

Strange as it may seem, while ferocious and dangerous creatures are common on the continent, they never set foot in human territory.

It is also for this reason that human beings are confined to the city in disguise, and if a refugee wants to go out of the city to explore, there will be screams after not walking more than two kilometers.

Sometimes Xiang Jiuxi is also quite puzzled, can it really be that in just a few decades, can organisms evolve to such an extent? Why haven't humans evolved?

The answer to this question may lie in the dark.

Xiang Jiuxi took one last look at the city behind him, then wrapped his body tightly in his coat and turned his head to run into the darkness.

Hidden in the darkness is an abandoned road.

Until a long time ago, the road was a chain of cities connected to each other, and many military forts were built along the way to ensure a close connection between cities.

Later, all kinds of ferocious mutant beasts sprung up like mushrooms and attacked the fortress incessantly.

Without the blessing of energy, all human weapons become disposable consumables. In order to implement the strategic approach of sustainable development, humanity has had to abandon the highway fortresses and huddle in the fortresses of cities.

As a result, the few remaining human bases on the mainland have been cut off from each other, and each has become an isolated island.

Xiang Jiuxi's destination on this trip was the nearest city to him, and he would pass through three fortresses along the way, covering a distance of about 72 kilometers.

Xiang Jiuxi is not an impulsive person, and he will leave a way out for himself at any time. At this point, his retreat was hidden in a cemetery on the outskirts of the city.

"Gah! Ga! Ga! ”

There were a few mournful bird chirpings from the sky.

Looking up, several pairs of glowing red eyes were hovering above his head.

They were mutated ravens that had evolved eyes to adapt to darkness in order to survive, and were twice as small as before, as well as beaks that could peck at bone sticks.

The only good thing is that the habits of these crows have not changed, and they still feed on carrion and do not actively attack living creatures.

Xiang Jiuxi discerned the direction in the dark, and roughly judged the location of the cemetery, which was on a small hill about two kilometers away from him.

"Gah! Ga! Ga! ”

"Gah! Ga! ”

……

The crow's cry attracted a large number of companions, who gathered in a circle above Xiang Jiuxi's head, all waiting for him to fall down and feast on him.

Xiang Jiuxi didn't put much thought into the crow, but squatted on the ground and drew a sketch while observing the terrain.

At his current pace, it would take him about twenty minutes to reach the hill, but there was a towering tree on the way that made him have to be concerned.

It stands to reason that trees can't grow as luxuriant in the absence of sunlight, especially when compared to the low bushes lying on the side.

There must be something strange when things go wrong, and he decides to take some time to get around from the side.

Continuing to observe in the distance, Xiang Jiuxi frowned: "Huh? When did a river emerge? ”

Beneath the hills, there is also a meandering river.

This is really bad news, "water" is the source of life, where there is water, there must be animals, and the origin of human beings is the same.

"I hope I won't encounter large carnivores...... Xiang Jiuxi sighed in his heart, and he couldn't understand why the terrain had changed so much in a few decades.

After planning the route forward, Xiang Jiuxi erased the sketch drawn on the ground and began to march in the direction of the hill.

"Quack, quack! Ga! ”

……

The crow never left him, hovering over his head and chirping non-stop.

Xiang Jiuxi suddenly had a bad premonition, in the case of food shortage, few animals would waste useless strength, there must be a reason why these crows are so persistent in following him.

Oops! Could these crows form a symbiotic relationship with other predators?

The crow discovers the prey, provides the coordinates with its sound, and then the predator hunts it, and finally shares the food.

This is not an uncommon thing in nature.

"Quack, quack, quack!"

Xiang Jiuxi stopped, and the crow also stopped above his head synchronously, and the cry seemed to convey some information.

"Bad ......"

These crows were not that simple, but he had no choice but to hold his breath and sprint towards the hill with all his might.

"Gah! Ga! ”

The crow transmits a message to the predator in a hurried tone.

Xiang Jiuxi's thin skeleton ran on the empty field, and he didn't dare to take a big breath, for fear that he would lose his strength if he took a breath.

A few minutes later, he heard a "tapping" sound through the crow's cry.

Looking to the side, a pile of smoke and dirt had risen in the distance, and the predator had finally arrived.

However, what struck him was that in order to be able to stealthily approach their prey, ordinary predators would evolve their four-legged toes, so that they could not only move smartly, but also run without any sound.

But this "tapping" sound ...... It was clearly a hoofed animal running, even if it was sluggish, it knew that the predator was coming.

Speaking of which, what kind of powerful predator can a guy who relies on crows to find prey be?

A minute later, Xiang Jiuxi was quickly slapped in the face by his own thoughts.

The predator's speed was not much slower than that of the leopard, and the dust was rapidly approaching him, and the sound of hooves scraping against the ground became louder and louder.

As a result, the crows' cries became more and more excited.

Xiang Jiuxi was taken aback in his heart, the journey to the hill was not even halfway through, and if he continued like this, he would definitely die in the mouth of the beast.

He looked at the big green tree not far away, and touched a bulge in his waist pocket: "There is no way, I can only gamble!" ”

Eventually, he gave up the idea of bypassing the trees and ran in the shortest straight line towards the hills.