After replenishing their water, the novice team set off again. Because the clouds overhead were very thick, the entire city seemed to have returned to nighttime.

This was not the main issue. Even though the wind had started to pick up, it had not reached a significant speed yet. Due to the dense buildings in the city, the wind's impact was somewhat lessened, and the few people moving through the alleys had not yet felt the threat of the cold wind.

However, the icy rain was not so easy to bear.

The rain was not heavy. In summer, it might even be considered a pleasant drizzle that many would enjoy. But combined with the increasingly low temperature, it conveyed only one feeling, cold.

"No matter what you say, I am going to find some thick clothes nearby."

Their route was forced to change slightly. The novice team began to adjust their plan to first find some warm clothes, preferably waterproof.

The process was tedious, with occasional scares, but no real danger occurred. The zombies that popped up from time to time were all successfully eliminated by the group. Although their ammunition was slowly decreasing, the combat abilities of the newcomers had grown steadily. Now they could cooperate skillfully in battle, and a small number of zombies could no longer threaten them.

Even if a large horde appeared, they could cooperate and use their existing weapons and the surrounding environment to escape. After all, these zombies' movement speed was quite pitiful. They could not catch a normal person. At least, that was what everyone thought before noon.

"Damn."

Zhang Yi's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He was particularly glad he had changed into thick clothes earlier and had not taken off his armguards after changing.

Looking at the clearly bitten and cracked armguard, he checked the clothes underneath, confirmed that the fabric was not fully torn and that his arm was intact, then finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"How did this damn thing run so fast?"

The others had already cleared out the nearby zombies. Finally, everyone gathered in front of this seemingly unremarkable one.

"It is obvious these zombies can evolve."

"But this is too fast."

It was not strange for zombies to evolve. Even in the Resident Evil film series, the zombies in the first movie were very different from those in later ones.

Perhaps the setting of this world's zombies was directly borrowed from the Resident Evil world, but the fact that evolved forms appeared less than a day after the initial outbreak was concerning.

"This is bad news. It might mean that various mutated forms will appear later."

"Shouldn't… shouldn't they?" Zhao Ying had roughly learned what the Main God Space was like by asking questions during this time. "Isn't this a novice trial? If a bunch of more terrifying monsters appear, can we handle it?"

"Uh…"

They did not think they were special existences covered by a protagonist's halo. Although Wang Hai considered himself reasonably intelligent, he was not some monstrous genius. Zhou Shulin also did not think that practicing martial arts since childhood made him more capable than others. At least he could not rely on those skills to fight through a zombie horde. Since he could not do that, there was no point in showing off. It was better to be an honest greenhorn.

"Let us assume the worst-case scenario and plan at that level of danger. If we really encounter it, we will not be caught off guard."

"I think Brother Wang is right."

Wang Hai was not young. He had been shut in for many years. Among these people, the youngest was Zhang Yi.

"What should we do?"

"While the zombies are still a bunch of slow-moving garbage mobs, quickly complete the transfer, then go to the pre-determined base and hold it for these thirty days."

This was the original plan, but they had not expected these troubles to come so quickly and urgently, one after another, and from the current situation, the danger seemed to be constantly rising.

"The plan has not changed, but we need to move faster."

What could have been completed slowly over half a month, preparing, stockpiling, and transferring supplies, even building defensive fortifications, now had to be done in the shortest time possible. As short as possible. They now wished they could finish all preparations today and then quietly stay in a safe place for thirty days.

The team started moving again. This time everyone felt the urgency, pushing their potential to the limit. Even though they were all very tired, no one suggested resting.

They walked from night to day, and then from day to night.

Due to the weather, the sense of time was already blurred. Only fatigue and sleepiness reminded everyone of the current time. Fortunately, after this period of rushing, they finally returned to the house where they had first arrived.

"The things are still here."

The purchased supplies were all there, which was good news. Even the truck was still there. However, the situation on the street was not optimistic, so they were hesitating whether to take some supplies and move on foot, or drive with everything.

"What you need to do now is rest. In this environment where you face combat at any time, pushing your physical strength to the limit is a very foolish behavior. You must ensure you always have the energy to fight or escape."

Wang Hai usually appeared smart. Perhaps because he read too many miscellaneous books, he knew a little about many things.

But theoretical knowledge, no matter how rich, is still theoretical. Many things can only be understood by experiencing them personally.

"But our time is very tight…"

"It is not as tight as you think. After all, the mission is to survive for thirty days."

Thirty days is not three or five days. This method of frantically pushing potential could last three or five days. For thirty days, it would probably only result in sudden collapse.

Ethan was certain that the Main God did not intend to kill the newcomers, especially after he noticed the energy fluctuations in the surrounding space. He was even more confident in that judgment.

Currently, most of his attention was focused on the energy operations and basic construction methods of this small world. Simply put, he was secretly learning how the Main God built the small world and how to use less energy to cause various changes across the world.

Because of this sensing-the-world behavior, Ethan was now very clear about the changes occurring here. He was certain that the subsequent temperature changes would have a period of moderation, equivalent to the previous temperature drop being the Main God deliberately giving the newcomers a heads-up, the weather is going to get worse, hurry up and prepare, then leaving a few days for them to prepare.

"This Main God is quite humane."

After persuading everyone to stay and rest, Ethan and Chen Peng decided to look around.

"We need to go out and check the traffic conditions on the streets so we can decide whether to move by car or continue on foot."

The remaining four stayed, then took turns guarding and resting in pairs.

"Aren't you guys resting?"

"We will be back soon, and then we will rest."

After giving instructions, Ethan and Chen Peng quickly disappeared into the darkness again. The four newcomers each found a place to sit, took out food, and filled their empty stomachs.

"I think there is something off about this Ethan." Zhang Yi casually bit into a piece of ham, almost collapsing where he sat, chewing listlessly.

"We are not blind or stupid. We can see that."

Although Ethan tried to be low-key, he did not deliberately hide anything. As long as you paid a little attention, you could still see many things.

Even Zhao Ying sensed that Ethan was strange, which was why she hardly spoke to him.

"I think he is also an experienced player."

Carrying heavy loads and walking for so long without any issues, this physical fitness could no longer be explained by long-term exercise alone.

"Didn't they say this was a novice trial? Why would there be experienced players?"

"Maybe there is some deal between him and Chen Peng. Or maybe he has some purpose. Is that not how it is written in novels? Some experienced players discover secrets in novice worlds, then find ways to return to the novice world to do something, and just happen to run into the protagonist who has just entered the space…"

Zhou Shulin had a much better appetite. He slurped down a big bowl of what he had cooked, ham, meat chunks, potatoes, beans, and so on.

Walking in the cold wind and drizzle for over a full day, eating hot meat soup warmed his entire body.

"Brother Zhou, does that mean one of us is the protagonist?"

"Maybe we are all protagonists."

They laughed awkwardly a few times, then fell quiet again.

"I hope these two big shots do not play us to death."

Wang Hai sighed, then stopped talking and started cooking a pile of things in a small pot like Zhou Shulin. He also realized that hot soup could warm him up.

Zhao Ying and Zhang Yi, who were beside him, had unknowingly fallen asleep. Zhang Yi still clutched half a piece of uneaten ham in his hand.

While the newcomers worried about this mission, Ethan and Chen Peng quickly circled outside, checking the road conditions.

"The difficulty of this mission feels a bit off. Is it because of you?"

The reason the two of them came out to scout was that Chen Peng had signaled Ethan, inviting him out to talk privately.

"No."

Ethan was certain that whatever was off about this mission had nothing to do with him, because he was not a Reincarnator in the Main God Space at all. The symbol on his left hand that looked like a tattoo was just a projection he created using illusion magic, mimicking the symbols on the others' hands.

In other words, the Main God could not have included Ethan when calculating the difficulty.

"Why are you so sure?"

"I can be very certain about this. Do you think the mission difficulty is off?"

"It feels a bit strange."

Chen Peng was sure that the Main God would not arbitrarily change the mission difficulty after it began. This meant the difficulty was determined from the start and would not suddenly increase because a few newcomers performed well.

"If it is not because of you, then why is it?"

(To be continued.)