Chapter 41 Biyun Resort

Chapter 41: Chapter 40: Biyun Resort

After Lu Yunping finished speaking, Chen Feng took over the conversation.

"That’s the situation. Whether you want to join us or not is entirely up to you. You’re free to come and go as you please here; we never force anyone."

Han Ning pondered for a moment. He wasn’t lacking food at the moment, but he was in dire need of other resources—intelligence, energy, practical tools, and crop seeds.

"Alright, I’ll join," Han Ning made his decision.

Chen Feng didn’t seem surprised by this answer. He fumbled in his pocket, pulled out a black card made of a special material, and handed it over.

"Welcome to the Biyun Awakened Communication Association. This is a room card for a guest room at Biyun Resort, which also serves as your membership credential.

"With this, you can live in that room and freely participate in all the association’s internal activities.

"Our association currently has fifty-seven Awakened and over a hundred ordinary people. Our personnel are constantly dying and being replenished.

"There’s a market open all day for exchanging supplies. Once you arrive at the resort, just do a simple registration of your basic information. It doesn’t need to be too detailed; just briefly write down the direction of your awakened abilities."

"Fifty-seven? That many?! Do you guys know exactly how ordinary people become Awakened?" Han Ning asked. He took the cold, black room card. It looked similar to a standard five-star hotel room card, etched with a simple cloud pattern and a room number.

Chen Feng shook his head. "Heh, we’ve recruited almost all the Awakened in the Eastern Resort District, which is why we have so many.

"As for how ordinary people become Awakened, it remains unknown for now. We only know that when a person experiences drastic emotional changes, there’s a higher probability of them becoming an Awakened.

"Consuming the flesh and blood of local monsters also has a tiny chance of causing a mutation, though it’s more likely to result in a malignant mutation."

"Eating monster flesh can also cause an awakening?"

"Yes! But the success rate is very low." Chen Feng’s expression turned serious. "Different people react differently to consuming different types of monster flesh. This is still in the exploration phase, so I’m not too clear on it either."

He then asked, as if he had just remembered, "By the way, brother, how should I address you?"

Seeing that Chen Feng didn’t seem to want to elaborate further on the topic, Han Ning decided not to press the issue. He replied, "Han Ning... Ning as in Peace. Why are you two out here?"

Chen Feng answered, "We usually operate in this area, responsible for recruiting new members or hunting monsters.

"An Awakened with Spiritual Perception Awakening who partners with us had an emergency and couldn’t make it today. So, we could only wander around the outskirts of the Fog Area, hoping to hunt a few isolated Crocodile Lizards. We didn’t expect to run into you."

At this point, a hint of a smile crept onto his face. "To tell you the truth, by recommending capable newcomers to join the association, guides like us can receive some internal rewards.

"If you meet suitable candidates in the future, you can recommend them too. You’ll get rewards as well."

Han Ning finally understood. No wonder these two were so proactive; it turned out there was a commission involved. This was perfectly reasonable, serving as an incentive mechanism to expand the organization.

"Understood," Han Ning nodded and pocketed the room card before asking. "Is it convenient to take me to the market now? I want to familiarize myself with the environment."

"Of course," Chen Feng agreed readily. "I also need to head back and treat my wounds anyway. Let’s go. The resort isn’t far from here; it’s just further towards the city center."

Biyun Resort was located within a relatively intact complex of buildings, a fair distance away from the edge of the white fog.

The main structure was a luxurious hotel building over a dozen stories high, surrounded by supporting villas and entertainment facilities. Certain areas had been converted into Defense fortifications, and people could be seen patrolling and keeping watch.

Upon entering the hotel lobby, they found it had been repurposed into a makeshift front desk for the association. The interior was very dim, illuminated solely by faint natural light.

After a brief information registration, Chen Feng turned to Han Ning. "The paperwork is done. Yunping and I need to go to the infirmary to treat our wounds, so feel free to look around on your own.

"The banquet hall on the second floor is the market. If you need anything, just ask the people there; they all know the rules well.

"If you want to trade something, just set up a stall or talk to someone. Everything is free and unrestricted. When you’re done, you can return to your room at any time or leave the resort altogether. It’s completely up to you."

"Alright, thank you both," Han Ning nodded in acknowledgment.

Chen Feng and Lu Yunping turned and left. Han Ning followed the signs toward the second-floor banquet hall.

As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he could faintly hear the clamor of voices coming from above, a stark contrast to the relatively quiet atmosphere on the first floor.

Pushing open the heavy doors of the banquet hall, a complex mixture of sweat, mold, and food odors rushed at his face. The banquet hall was massive. The originally neatly arranged tables and chairs had been shoved to the edges, leaving the central open space filled with dozens of tables of various sizes.

Some tables had items displayed on them, with people sitting behind them. Next to most of the stalls stood or hung crude pieces of cardboard, with the names of the items and trading conditions written in crooked handwriting. The place was much livelier than he had imagined. At a quick glance, there were at least several dozen people present.

They were standing or sitting; some were conversing in hushed tones, some were haggling over prices, and others just sat silently behind their stalls with vacant expressions. The lighting primarily came from the candles provided by the stall owners, making the environment rather dim, much like a ghost market from the old days.

Han Ning guessed, "So many people? Most of them must be family members of the Awakened. Other ordinary people can be abandoned, but family is hard to abandon."

He walked in with Snow Cake and began to slowly stroll down the aisles.

When the people in the banquet hall saw the robust and ferocious-looking Snow Cake, they were initially startled. But when they noticed the beast following closely beside a stranger like a loyal pet, their tense expressions relaxed.

Han Ning ignored their nervousness and focused on the items being sold on the tables. The goods available were roughly divided into the following categories:

1. Food and water: This was the most common category. There were compressed biscuits, canned goods, vacuum-packed rice and noodles, bottled and barreled water, less-than-fresh-looking fruits and vegetables, as well as some dried meat strips and fish. So far, Han Ning hadn’t seen anyone selling seeds.

2. Daily necessities: Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, towels, toilet paper, lighters, matches, batteries, candles, sewing kits, tape, ropes, plastic bags...

3. Tools and weapons: Fire axes, crowbars, steel pipes, sharpened rebar, kitchen knives, daggers, wrenches, hammers, screwdriver sets... Han Ning even spotted two well-maintained Compound Bows and a small bundle of arrows at one stall, carrying a hefty price tag. Another stall owner was selling homemade Molotov cocktails.

4. Medicines: These were a scarce resource; there were few stalls, and the items were quite a mixed bag. There were common cold medicines, painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, gauze, bandages, iodine, alcohol...

5. Energy supplies: Cassette stove gas canisters, gasoline, diesel, solid alcohol blocks, and batteries.

6. Clothing and protective gear: Raincoats, windbreakers, thick cargo pants, durable boots, work gloves, motorcycle helmets...

7. Other miscellaneous items: Books, cigarettes, and electronic products.

8. Intelligence.

9. People and other animals...

"The variety is actually quite rich."

As Han Ning walked toward a relatively secluded corner, a rather jarring sight caught his eye. Sitting behind a small table was a young woman. She had delicate features, wore no makeup, and was dressed in a loose-fitting shirt.

On the piece of cardboard in front of her, written in red marker, were the words:

"Overnight stay: 2 cans or food/points of equal value."

The woman kept her head down, her fingers anxiously twisting the hem of her shirt. Only occasionally would she quickly glance up to scan the passersby, a trace of shame lingering in her eyes.