The command of the entire team was handed over to Li Xingteng and the others, and Cao Jingshan made his way over to his wife and daughter.
Looking at the cloak that had appeared over his daughter's head, for some reason, even he, a grown man, felt his eyes turn hot.
Xu Ximan saw the emotion in Cao Jingshan's eyes, gripped his hand, smiled through her tears—no matter what, they had made it, their perseverance had been worth it!
And it wasn't just this family. After the others realized the "goodwill" of the group, they truly relaxed inside.
Once they reached the territory, they could finally get some proper rest.
With a place to recover, at least they could regain their strength.
The looks they gave Cao Jingshan were filled with gratitude; if he hadn't kept encouraging them, they might not have lasted until now.
Nobody knew what Hope Village's territory was actually like, and how it would compare to Canglei Village. And would this territory also face demon beast attacks?
If it was breached again, where would they go next?
Thinking of this, quite a few people fell back into a melancholic state.
Just as everyone was lost in thought, they heard footsteps coming from all directions.
The crowd instantly grew anxious.
Could it be demon beasts approaching?
Once the voices drew near and they saw people in familiar outfits, they unconsciously let out a sigh of relief.
"You're here!" Li Xingteng greeted Zhou Zhengping warmly.
Zhou Zhengping nodded, then looked at the dozens in the group and asked, "Is everyone okay? Did you run into any demon beasts?"
"My team happened to clear this area earlier, so they shouldn't have come across any high-level demon beasts. As for low-level ones, they've got equipment, and some are at decent levels, so they probably handled them fine. When we arrived, everyone was safe, just affected more by the weather, so we're planning to get them back to the territory quickly for some rest," Li Xingteng replied.
"They have equipment? So… are they from another territory?" Zhou Zhengping quickly picked up on the difference between this group of survivors and those before; these survivors seemed to have some foundation and experience surviving in the Doomsday Game world.
Li Xingteng nodded, "That's my thinking too. But they didn't look too well, so I didn't ask. Once they settle in, they'll tell us sooner or later—I'm not in a rush."
Zhou Zhengping glanced at the group upon hearing this. Most of them didn't look great; the better ones were the high-level combatants Li Xingteng mentioned.
Then Zhou Zhengping silently joined the group, and soldiers from his team also handed their cloaks to those most in need.
After walking a bit further, Zhong Yongnian arrived with more people, greeted Li Xingteng's group, and joined in.
As they continued, more and more people showed up, almost all joining the escort, chatting occasionally as they went.
"You came too?"
"Territory quest—I was nearby, figured I'd come, since they're our people."
"Also, there are about two hours left; just about time to head back to the territory for cooldown."
"What's up with these people? Don't look so good?"
"Most are injured, life values are extremely low. How could they look good?"
"Must've been tough."
"So hurrying back to the territory is definitely the best move."
"..."
Comments in the team kept trickling into Cao Jingshan's ear. Seeing these clearly Hope Village people, he slowly caught on too.
These folks all came to rescue them, and from different places no less.
Who were they following orders from—the Lord of Hope Village?
To get the people below to obey orders for a rescue, this lord must be strong! And apparently supports newcomers, too.
Could Hope Village be a good place to settle?
As Cao Jingshan was pondering, a few combatants gathered around him, whispering.
"Brother Cao, this Hope Village looks pretty decent."
"Should we ask them about the details?"
"Don't know if the gold coin costs to live there are high or not."
"..."
What Cao Jingshan saw, they saw too. They had high hopes for Hope Village; after enduring the hardship of wandering, they really wanted a stable territory.
And from the clues so far, Hope Village seemed much stronger than Canglei Village—they didn't have soldier teams or this kind of equipment.
The leather armor aside, even the green gear was far better than ordinary clothing. In Canglei Village they sold only white clothes, with no special effects.
And the weapons—the long spears had iron, some were Bronze Level, while theirs were just ordinary level, with lower damage values and durability.
From this angle, Hope Village's equipment was obviously superior.
That was good news; at least it meant Hope Village was strong, and maybe they wouldn't have to drift around anymore.
But there was bad news too: if Hope Village was much stronger than Canglei Village, it might cost more gold coins to get a foothold—and most were strapped for cash.
They couldn't figure it out, so had to ask Cao Jingshan.
Their chatter interrupted Cao Jingshan's thoughts. Looking at the escorting teams around them, he said, "Let's ask when we get there! If it really takes more gold coins, we'll rest up and work hard to earn them. It's not just us, but our families too—protecting them in the Doomsday Game is actually harming them."
This time was a harsh lesson.
"Okay." The others responded together. All they hoped now was that the territory could withstand demon beast waves, and they could grind levels with their families.
Thanks to the soldier teams clearing a bunch of places today, they knew which routes had fewer demon beasts, so the whole group basically encountered none on the way back, and returned smoothly to the territory.
"Up ahead is our territory," Li Xingteng announced.
Cao Jingshan and the others stared at the solid city walls, a little stunned.
How could two territories be the same concept, yet Hope Village was so impressive?
Unable to hold back, Cao Jingshan asked, "Did your territory upgrade?"
Their fence couldn't compare to this city wall—it was just trash!
"Ours is a Level 1 village now. After upgrading, we got the city wall," Li Xingteng explained, "Makes you feel safe, right?"
"... Yeah." Cao Jingshan nodded stiffly. That's it, it's upgraded, fees are bound to be higher now!
As they drew closer to the territory, Cao Jingshan hesitated, then asked, "How many gold coins to become a resident?"
When they'd gone to Canglei Village, it was 2 gold coins per person, 6 for his family of three. Buying a house cost another 20, and getting equipment drained their savings.
It would've been fine if they could stay peacefully, but when the territory fell, all their money was wasted—thinking about it made his heart ache. He'd decided not to buy a house in the new territory, or even become a resident. He'd just be a visitor, spending less, and not risking more. If the territory got destroyed, he'd lose big.
But even not buying a house, entering and spending in the territory could cost quite a few gold coins.
Now arriving at Hope Village, seeing this obviously higher-level territory, he worried even more about money.
Zhou Zhengping, overhearing, his eyes flickered, then he asked, "How many gold coins did your old territory charge?"
When did becoming a resident start costing gold coins?
Cao Jingshan didn't notice anything odd and answered, "At Canglei Village, residents cost 2 gold coins, and I heard another territory charged 3."
Zhou Zhengping: "..."
If Xiao Bai found out, would she feel they were getting ripped off?
"That high?" Zhou Zhengping fell silent, and the others were already shocked.
Only then did Cao Jingshan feel something was off. "Is it lower here than our old territory?"
"For permanent residents in our territory, it's only 10 silver coins. Visiting is 10 copper coins a day," Li Xingteng explained.
This stunned Cao Jingshan and his group.
Way too low!
This was practically a benevolent territory.
At that moment, Zhou Zhengping led the way into the territory.
Sha Mingjie and Xu Chengyi, guarding the gate, greeted them enthusiastically.
"Captain Zhou, Captain Li, just take them to the dining hall. Some folks already prepared food and hot water," Sha Mingjie said directly.
"Who gave the orders?" Zhou Zhengping asked.
"It was the lady!"
Zhou Zhengping grinned and led Cao Jingshan's group toward the dining hall.
As Cao Jingshan's group entered Hope Village, the system prompts rang out, and every one of them chose to become residents without hesitation.
10 silver coins, after experiencing high prices at other territories, was barely anything at all.
Once inside, they looked around Hope Village—their eyes couldn't take it all in.
Same-sized territory, yet Hope Village was completely different; so many buildings, some familiar, others totally new.
This territory was way stronger than their old one.