The Short Life of Ferdicans (Part 2)

"Welcome! You must follow us!" The voice of a centenarian came from behind everyone.

Lin Yuwei was shocked by the voice and quickly ran behind Bai Han.

When Lin Yuwei saw the terrifying appearance of the centenarian, she trembled in fear. The centenarian had a hunchbacked waist that looked like the letter C, a big red head with only one eye, and a mouth with countless sharp teeth. It did not look like a human or a monster. It looked like a hybrid between a normal person and a terrifying monster.

This made Lin Yuwei think of the spider and python hybrid from before.

"Hello, we're from Ferdican."

It turned out that the so-called terrifying figure in front of them was actually a native of Ferdican. After understanding this, they realized that the natives had only one mission for generations, and that was to protect these mysterious creatures and not allow anyone with any ulterior motives to take them away.

Obviously, the reason why the other players didn't manage to seize these creatures forcefully was that the indigenous residents of this place, the Ferdicans, had stopped them.

"Sir, we're just following the system's instructions to complete the mission. I hope you won't make things difficult for us," said Bai Han.

"Gentlemen, our mission for generations has been to protect this place. Just as you have a mission to accomplish, so do we. If you possess the ability to take away what we hold dear, but lack the strength to overcome us, then you have only yourself to blame."

The Ferdican spoke calmly, indicating that many had come before with the intention of stealing the mysterious creature, but none had succeeded. This was because the creature was of great importance to them.

While he didn't know the exact appearance or name of the creature, he was aware of its effects. It was an energy source upon which the indigenous people of Ferdican relied to survive. Without it, they would age rapidly, leading to a short lifespan of 30 to 40 years.

The harsh living conditions were attributed to the monsters that attacked and tried to take the creatures away. To protect them, the ancestors of Ferdican had trained terrifying guardians, which had led to the destruction of the environment.

Over time, the guardians tasked with protecting the mysterious creatures had lost their ability to differentiate friend from foe among the local Ferdicans.

This led to countless attacks and the guardians even laid eggs in the area. These guardians were mostly flying ant lions with various dangerous and poisonous features.

As a result, the ecosystem was destroyed, and approaching the mysterious creatures became impossible.

The Ferdicans were on the verge of giving up and living in the few remaining cracks of the destroyed ecosystem. If this continued, they would face extinction.

"So, whether we come to snatch this so-called biological body or not, your final outcome will be extinction."

The older native did not speak. To them, this was indeed the case. However, the legends surrounding the mysterious creature were unproven and no one had ever confirmed that it truly affected the lifespan of the local people.

"Let's strike a deal," said Bai Han.

"I'm listening," replied the older native. "As long as it's reasonable, we're open to it."

"We will help you restore the ecosystem here, eliminate the terrifying monsters, and then we'll try to take away the mysterious creature. If it causes you serious aging, we'll release it immediately. I don't believe that taking away the biological body will cause you to age quickly. There's no evidence to support that claim. In fact, by helping you eliminate the bad ecological systems, the average lifespan of your race may increase," explained Bai Han.

Bai Han's words resonated with the Ferdicans. For generations, they had struggled to rid their world of harmful ecological systems and had created a sanctuary to protect their way of life.

They were willing to consider letting the outsiders take the creature, as long as it didn't pose a risk to their survival.

"Then prove your strength to me first. Although Ferdicans may have short lives, they are not to be underestimated when angered. If you want me to believe you can destroy these ecological systems infested with monsters, show me what you can do. Once you leave this secret base and go deeper, you'll see that almost all the caves and ecological systems have been polluted by these creatures."

"Beep! Beep! Beep!"

At that moment, they noticed four caves in the area, each installed with corresponding alarm lights. It appeared that the indigenous residents had some advanced technology.

They learned that once these alarms lit up, it meant that the ant lions were attacking and that it was their last line of defense to maintain a comfortable life.

The alarms had three warning levels, represented by the number of lights lit up. If all three were on, it meant that all the ant lions in a certain nest had been mobilized. Currently, only one light was on.

"Deploy the machine guns quickly!" The three of them retrieved their automatic handguns from behind the rock. These machine guns could be assembled to fire accurately and rapidly. They needed to protect the defense line to have any chance of obtaining the mysterious creature.

Bai Han was curious about the ant lion and what made it such a terrifying monster. For him, exploring mysteries was the greatest pleasure in the world, and killing monsters was the most basic form of enjoyment.

"Bring it on!"