Starting Off Survival With A Small Treehouse

Chapter 466: Chapter 329: The Mysterious Treasure Chest_2

The claw came so fast it was a blur, with a loud smack, closing the lid of the treasure chest.

...Smack?

Shouldn’t a metal box closing be more of a ”click” or ”clank” sound?

This treasure chest...

Just as Xu Xin was staring at the chest in thought, it made a ”creeeak—” sound again, the lid lifting faster and at a steeper angle, allowing Xu Xin to see inside.

”Hiss—” Xu Xin drew in a sharp breath.

The scene before him made his eyes widen in disbelief.

Inside the chest, there was no creature, but a bloody, gaping maw!

The entire interior of the chest was a mouth full of sharp teeth!

This mouth was eerily familiar, reminding him of the giant Cannibal Flower that once guarded the golden chest.

The mouth of that Cannibal Flower and the mouth inside this chest were so similar!

This chest didn’t house any mutated creature because the whole treasure chest itself was the body of a monster!

Damn!

Isn’t this... a Mimic?!

Does such a creature exist in this world?!

Xu Xin almost stabbed it with his spear, but Mimi beat him to it.

Mimi let out another sharp screech and slapped the lid of the chest shut with a quick slap.

This treasure chest isn’t as metallic as its exterior suggests. Judging by the sound, the inside is somewhat soft, and this time Xu Xin observed carefully, noticing that the chest lid deformed visibly under Mimi’s blow.

Clearly, its exterior isn’t as hard as it looks.

Forced shut once again, the Mimic stayed silent for a long time.

Just when Xu Xin thought it wouldn’t move again, it suddenly opened its mouth wide, the chest lid flinging open violently!

Simultaneously, countless thick Blood Patterned Vines began to emerge from its bloody maw, ready to launch an attack on Xu Xin and his companions!

They were incredibly thick, with a diameter of over ten centimeters, protruding from the depths of the chest’s throat!

Xu Xin’s expression changed drastically, about to launch an attack, but Mimi beat him to it with a swift slap, once again closing the chest lid and even scratching at it a few more times.

This time, the Mimic let out a bizarre and eerie shriek.

The tips of the vines had already extended outside the chest, but under Mimi’s forceful smack, they were cut by the Mimic’s sharp teeth, leaving parts of them writhing outside.

This...

This Mimic is in a sorry state...

Then, the Silver King also leapt into action, and the two beasts launched an attack on the Mimic!

Afu flew over to Xu Xin’s shoulder, quietly spectating the battle.

Mimi’s claws moved like lightning, striking furiously, while the Silver King pounced on the chest, starting to bite it!

The Mimic fought back, but every time it tried to open its lid, Mimi would slam it shut and launch an even fiercer attack.

Even though the Silver King’s blood-patterned fangs couldn’t penetrate deeply, they managed to punch two small holes into the chest!

This Mimic clearly needed to open to unleash its full power, but with Mimi there, it had no chance to do so and could only take the beating passively.

After taking an unknown number of hits, the Mimic let out a strange sound, and with a ”clang,” followed by several piercing metallic scraping noises, Mimi and the Silver King retreated.

It wasn’t because they were attacked, but because the chest had hardened, as if it really turned into a metal treasure chest!

Their attacks were now ineffective against the chest!

At the same time, Xu Xin’s sense of danger disappeared.

Did the Mimic die?

Or did it change forms?

The person and the three beasts stared at the chest for a long time, but it did not change again.

On the ground, those severed vine segments were still wriggling slightly, looking rather disgusting.

They came from deep within the chest, not from the visible mouth inside.

In other words, the interior of this chest either connects to another place or—like a backpack—it has an internal space completely inconsistent with its exterior!

There might really be something valuable in there.

In games, items spat out by Mimics are usually not worse than those from ordinary treasure chests, right?

So what to do now, should the chest be opened?

Xu Xin hesitated, pondering for a long time before deciding to abandon the idea for now.

Given his current unsafe situation with ongoing activities, how could he add more uncertainty and risk?

However, even though he couldn’t open it here, he could certainly take the chest with him!

Back on the surface, he wasn’t afraid of a mere Mimic!

He immediately tried to store the copper-like treasure chest into his backpack.

[Storage failed, backpack cannot store living creatures]

Xu Xin: ”...”

Indeed, although it looks like a treasure chest, it’s actually alive.

But... what to do now?

Should he still take it?

Of course, he must take it!

”Mimi, hold it down!” Xu Xin ordered.

Mimi immediately extended her right claw, pressing firmly on the chest lid.

The Mimic lay there unresponsive, as if it had truly become just a chest.

Xu Xin then stretched out his left hand to touch the treasure chest.

His left hand wore a bracelet that could store mutant creatures.

The moment he touched it, a cold chill and a strong sense of crisis surged in his heart. His heart tightened, and he reflexively pulled back his hand.

However, the chest vanished the moment he touched it.

Indeed, using the bracelet allowed him to store the Mimic!

This strange chest really was a mutated creature!

Moreover, judging by its mouth, which was very similar to that of the Cannibal Flower, and the vines that emerged from its throat, this Mimic likely mutated from a plant!

If it was a plant, then were there seeds...? Could it be planted?

Anyway, for now, it was enough to store it; he could study it further once back home.

Xu Xin glanced at the bracelet containing the chest.

The bracelet given by Zhang Yin was really handy.

It could not only store that recently broken egg but also the Mimic, and no matter how many creatures it stored, it added no weight!

It’s even more convenient than a backpack!

Moreover, when he let Lou Fei’Er enter the bracelet to observe Ma Hongwei’s condition last time, she mentioned that it remained pitch black inside, and she couldn’t find Ma Hongwei.

Thus, the creatures inside the bracelet couldn’t affect each other, so there was no need to worry about the Mimic causing trouble.

Taking it this way, when back on the surface, he could safely solve the chest’s issue, minimizing the danger!

This is the safest method!

Having made all these decisions, Xu Xin gently let out a breath.

He adjusted the bracelet on his wrist, preparing to continue exploring around the massive pillar with the three beasts.

The three creatures were startled by how high they were. Being at a height of a thousand meters, and on a cliff, was enough to make one’s legs weak.

Even Afu dared not fly near the cliff edge; after all, it’s a bat that usually lived in caves, not in such high places.

Finally, after walking around the towering peak, Xu Xin found nothing else besides the Mimic.

Where did those vultures go?

Could it be...

Xu Xin glanced at his bracelet.

No way...

After letting the three beasts roam freely for a while, Xu Xin also stored them back into the bracelet.

Sitting at the edge of a protruding rock, Xu Xin casually ate something to replenish his energy, gazing at the expanse of white desert before him, he took a deep breath.

Not too bad, after climbing for so long, he obtained a giant egg of some unknown creature and a bizarre Mimic.

Their potential yield could vary greatly, depending on what he could ultimately gain.

The sun had passed its zenith, and the surrounding fog had mostly dispersed. As the sunlight hit him, in the minus twenty to thirty degrees Celsius environment, it gave him a warm feeling.

Xu Xin stood up.

No longer wasting time, he continued to climb!