Chapter 37: Recruitment and Requirements

Facing Han Ning’s question, the man in the jacket standing on the signpost did not answer directly. Instead, he countered:

"Brother, where are you from?"

Han Ning frowned slightly. Since the moment these two appeared, they had maintained an air of condescending scrutiny, and their tone was far from friendly; he was not about to reveal his background so easily.

The man in the jacket didn't seem to mind Han Ning’s silence. He chuckled, breaking the tense atmosphere.

"To have survived this long, you're clearly no fool. It’s normal to be cautious."

"My name is Chen Feng, and that’s Lu Yunping. We are survivors from the 'Biyun Bay Resort' to the east."

After briefly introducing themselves, the man in the jacket asked, "You’re looking to head toward Egret Port, and you're after the ships, aren't you?"

Han Ning nodded slightly, silently confirming.

"As I thought."

"Egret Port lies deep within this fog. If you try to enter without knowing the way, you’re just walking to your death."

"We possess intelligence regarding this fog, including the behavioral patterns of some of the monsters within."

"However..." Chen Feng’s tone shifted. "If you want access to this information, you must join us. We don't take in those without ability. To join, you must pass our strength assessment and earn our approval."

"I have no interest in joining any organization." Han Ning shook his head. He was used to being on his own, especially in this post-apocalyptic world where order had collapsed. Besides, his last experience joining Liu Feng’s team had left him with unpleasant memories.

"Don't misunderstand. We aren't an organization with a hierarchy or mandatory orders."

"It’s more of a platform for exchanging intelligence and trading supplies. It’s led by a few powerful awakened individuals who attract capable, resourceful people from the nearby area to gather and look out for one another."

"Those who join are on equal footing. You can trade supplies, exchange information, post or accept commissions, and team up to explore more dangerous areas. The prerequisite is that you must have something worth sharing, or possess the ability to acquire valuable information."

Chen Feng looked at Han Ning, his tone turning more serious.

"You can leave whenever you want; no one will stop you. But there is one universally acknowledged iron rule: once you leave, you must not reveal the location of our stronghold or any information about its members to anyone. Anyone who violates this... will be treated as an enemy by everyone."

"Much of this intelligence is paid for in human lives. Life-saving information is the most valuable hard currency in this apocalypse."

"There is no such thing as getting something for nothing."

Han Ning fell silent. In truth, he felt Chen Feng’s words made sense. As a lone wolf, he did need a platform to trade goods and information.

But he did not trust the two men before him.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Haha." Chen Feng seemed to have anticipated this question. He smiled slightly. "As long as you pass the test, I can give you some of the intel on the fog zone for free. This information will be enough for you to judge the authenticity and value of our intelligence."

"As for deeper information—such as relatively safe paths, the distribution of threats deep in the fog, or the situation at the Egret Port berthing area—that will require you to trade for or acquire it yourself once you’re on the inside."

"Whether you choose to go to our stronghold or participate in future gatherings is entirely up to you."

"We won't force anyone to stay. The meeting spot is public; you can come and go as you please. No one will stop you."

If he could obtain some initial intelligence, Han Ning felt it might be worth a try. After weighing the pros and cons, he looked up, met Chen Feng’s gaze directly, and spoke a single word:

"Fine."

Seeing Han Ning agree, Chen Feng gestured toward Lu Yunping with his chin. "Yunping, you go test this brother's mettle."

Lu Yunping shook his head decisively. "Not me. You lost our bet earlier and still haven't paid up the three live chickens. You want me to do the work? No way."

Chen Feng was momentarily stumped, feeling a bit helpless.

He shifted his stance, drifted down from the signpost, and landed lightly on a relatively open patch of ground where the water only reached his calves.

As the rain fell, it was deflected ten centimeters away from Chen Feng’s body by an invisible current of air.

He swept his gaze over Xuebing, Han Ning’s companion, held up three fingers, and offered a faint smile.

"The rules are simple. If you can last three minutes against me, you pass the test. I will immediately honor my promise and give you a portion of the intel."

"Don't worry, it’s just a sparring match. I won't take your life."

Han Ning looked on calmly and nodded. "Good."

"Watch out!"

Before the words had even faded, Chen Feng’s figure vanished from where he stood.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.*

The air currents around them suddenly accelerated, emitting a low, whistling howl.

*Whoosh!*

A powerful gust of air erupted from the point where he had vanished, kicking up a massive spray of water.

"Roar!!"

Xuebing, who had been ready to strike, was bewildered by the sudden disappearance of the figure. It could only keep swiveling its eyes, trying to track the opponent’s movements.

*So fast!* Han Ning’s heart tightened. If not for his elevated spiritual power, he would have struggled to even lock onto the opponent's trajectory.

*Xuebing probably can't keep up with his speed.*

With his spiritual power raised to 0.7, the heightened perception proved crucial. He barely managed to capture a blurred afterimage moving at startling speed, tracing an erratic path as it lunged at him from the left!

*Swish, swish, swish.*

Almost the moment Chen Feng launched his attack, Han Ning’s thoughts raced. A full fifteen dark green vines erupted from the water in front of him, at his sides, and even from behind him.

Ever since his Vine Mastery had broken through from intermediate to advanced, he hadn't truly tested its power. Now was the perfect time.

The vines of the advanced Vine Mastery were consistently three fingers thick, and their color was a deep, almost black, dark green compared to the intermediate version.

The sound of them cutting through the air was sharp and piercing, and their speed was at least 30% faster than before.

[Vine Mastery (Advanced) Proficiency +1, currently 5/500]

The fifteen vines wove into a dense, inescapable net, precisely sealing off Chen Feng’s path of attack.

However, Chen Feng’s speed was truly terrifying.

His body displayed astonishing agility while moving at high speeds. Facing the strangling net of vines, he merely twisted and folded in a bizarre fashion, like a willow catkin in the wind, slipping right through the gaps in the vines.

The terrifying force carried by the tips of the vines whipped down into the water, shattering a block of concrete on the seabed into pieces.

"Decent power, but unfortunately, your speed is too slow!"

Chen Feng’s playful voice rang out from behind and to the right of Han Ning.

Immediately, Han Ning felt a powerful gust of wind hit his right side.

Chen Feng had somehow circled around to his flank. His right hand was held with fingers joined like a blade, and a thin, rapidly rotating layer of pale cyan air had condensed along the edge of his palm.