Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

Chapter 1178 - 623: If It Were You, What Would You Choose? (Part 2)

The patriarchs of the two families had no particular opinion about there still being humans on the surface.

They even believed that the legend about alien invaders conquering Earth a millennium ago might not be true. It was more likely a geological disaster on the surface forced humans to migrate underground, and now the surface is no longer suitable for survival, with no need to go up.

Overall, their attitude was simple: the surface is too dangerous, opposing alien invaders is asking for death. Whatever you want to do, don’t drag us into it, and don’t bring trouble underground.

Even when resources were scarce at the time, they had no intention of returning to the surface. They planned to address the issue starting with other areas underground since the underground world was vast.

In the end, the negotiations came to nothing.

”Wait... do the other two families also know about this?”

Xu Xin asked with a frown.

”... According to grandfather, only the patriarchs of the two families know, and neither of them disclosed it. Because if the residents of the underground world knew there were people on the surface, and are even coming to take them up, surely some would yearn for the surface. Then chaos would ensue.”

This is indeed true.

People here have been taught since childhood that the surface is dangerous, with sunlight causing your skin to fester and die. Now, with humans coming from the surface, planning to take them up...

Between lies and truth, what will people choose?

Perhaps the older generation would choose the former, continuing their stable lives, but the new generation might stir up a wave of rebellion.

To ensure the stability of the human underground base, the patriarchs of the three families decided not to publicize this matter.

”That’s also why, despite the three patriarchs knowing this all along, the rest of the base was completely unaware. It was only yesterday that I learned about this from my grandfather.”

Yesterday...

Okay.

Although it feels like several days have passed in Xu Xin’s subjective time, he spent most of it inside the World Tree.

According to time outside the World Tree, Xu Ying and Li Wenxi only returned this morning.

The siege of the World Tree also happened yesterday.

”What happened after that?” Xu Xin asked in confusion, ”So, your grandfather didn’t want to betray them?”

Wei Shishi clenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, ”Those lackeys brought the largest invasion of mutated creatures ever...”

Wei Bai himself didn’t want to get involved with these people.

He had seen Xu Ying, knew the situation on the surface, and knew what kind of characters those lackeys were.

Their sudden appearance left him somewhat helpless, and he could only defend passively.

This was the neutral solution he worked out with the three patriarchs.

If really worried, they simply needed to increase the Wei Family’s military strength to ensure nobody harms them.

The Yuan Family, responsible for regulating resource extraction, would open the floodgates for the Wei Family.

After that, Wei Bai once more negotiated with the two humans from the surface, informing them that the underground residents had no intention of returning to the surface.

The other side expressed regret and left without saying anything more.

Things spiraled out of control after that.

A few days later, mutated creatures appeared within the hinterland cities of the underground human base.

No, they didn’t attack from the outskirts of the underground human base.

Those mutated creatures initially besieging the periphery of the underground human base inexplicably appeared in large numbers within the hinterland instead!

Though they didn’t appear in the central city, several surrounding cities were attacked!

The battle was extremely brutal!

Though only a few cities were affected, they were among the most densely populated in the underground human base!

Even if the Wei Family had weapons capable of easily killing mutated creatures, they couldn’t prevent attacks where the enemy had nowhere to hide.

And in this battle, Wei Bai’s son, who was to inherit the role of patriarch, and Wei Shishi’s father, along with her mother, perished surrounded by mutated creatures.

Those that besieged them were high-level mutated creatures.

Despite receiving the highest level of protection, and though the Wei Family heavily wounded the enemy with weapons, ultimately they were attacked by flying mutated creatures while evacuating and died in the crash.

As Wei Shishi spoke, her emotions remained unaffected: ”They died when I was very young, so I don’t have many memories of them. But grandfather...”

When Wei Bai arrived at the scene, all he saw were the corpse remains of the two.

Luckily, the plane was just taking off then, so it wasn’t fast, at least leaving intact bodies.

It’s most painful for the elderly to bury their children, and ever since then, Wei Bai fell into despair, his personality changed drastically, no longer involved in decision-making.

With the next generation patriarch dead and the patriarch collapsing, Wee Shishi was only a little girl at that time, the Wei Family was in complete disarray.

”Grandfather’s drastic change in character wasn’t solely due to my parents’ deaths.” Wei Shishi bit her lip and said, ”If it were just those two dying, as a patriarch even if he were deeply saddened, he wouldn’t neglect the Wei Family and wallow in despair for nearly a year.”

”... Those lackeys approached your grandfather again.” Xu Xin sighed.

”Indeed.” Wei Shishi nodded.