Chapter 50 News

Chapter 50: Chapter 49: News

Han Ning felt as if his head had been smashed into boiling hot gravel. It was hot, swollen, and the world before his eyes turned into a bizarre, kaleidoscopic blur.

The walls seemed to warp, the curtain of rain outside the balcony transformed into an upside-down, blood-red waterfall, and Snow Cake’s meaningless roars echoed in his ears. His sense of touch became chaotic; one moment he felt like he was floating in the clouds, and the next, he was encased in heavy sludge.

"Ugh... I must have eaten some magic mushrooms," Han Ning groaned. He stumbled against the wall for support and shook his head vigorously.

This dizzying, sensory-scrambling sensation came fiercely and left just as quickly. Although it only lasted a few short seconds, his forehead was already drenched in cold sweat, and his heart was beating like a drum. The intense vertigo and auditory and visual hallucinations gradually faded away completely.

Panting slightly, Han Ning stared at the tomato in his hand, which was missing a small bite. His eyes were full of suspicion and uncertainty. He thought, "It doesn’t look like something edible. It’s more like a biological weapon..."

The optimization effects brought by Natural Blessing were truly... unexpected. So far, Han Ning hadn’t felt a single beneficial effect. His Spirit hadn’t increased, his Energy hadn’t risen, and no surge of strength rushed through his body.

They were all negative effects!

Then again, if even a Druid like him felt the world spinning after eating just a tiny bit, wouldn’t the monsters pass out instantly if they ate the whole fruit?

"I’ll take it to the Fog Area tomorrow to test it out..." Thinking of this, his spirits lifted.

***

Meanwhile, as Han Ning was testing the tomato’s effects, flickering candlelight cast shifting shadows across over a dozen faces inside a hotel conference room at the Biyun Resort. The group sat around the central conference table, their eyes locked dead onto the heavily bandaged figure sitting next to Chairman Wu.

No one expected that Vice President Wang—who had gone out to explore the Fog Area two days ago and hadn’t returned—would actually come back today!

"Old Wang," Chairman Wu, sitting at the head of the table, spoke with a grave tone, breaking the silence in the room. "What exactly happened during these past two days in the Fog Area?"

Vice President Wang had sustained severe injuries, but his mental state seemed relatively sound. His Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty before his lips moved. "I found the core area of the berth."

"Oh?"

The moment those words were spoken, it was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, instantly shattering the oppressive atmosphere. Everyone subconsciously sat up straighter, revealing expressions of intense curiosity.

"I investigated it. You can enter through the control room of the underwater gate in the abandoned maintenance tunnel No. 3," Vice President Wang’s tone suddenly shifted. "But the monster guarding the gate is extremely powerful.

"In addition to various wandering monsters, there is one that is clearly the Leader.

"I didn’t dare get too close. I could only vaguely make out that the creature was massive—nearly six meters long and over two and a half meters tall. It looked like a Big Tuna covered in Bone Armor.

"Furthermore, there was a cluster of glowing Coral on its back.

"When I stared at that Coral, my mind suddenly went blank, and the wandering monsters around immediately spotted me.

"At the critical moment, I snapped back to my senses. I had to hide in the Fog Area for two days just to barely escape their pursuit..."

"Hid for two days?" Chairman Wu frowned slightly. "Why didn’t you come back?"

Vice President Wang gasped for breath. His eyes inexplicably grew bloodshot, and his words tumbled out in an urgent rush, "The path to the resort was blocked by a massive horde of monsters. I had to hide in abandoned shipping containers or buildings, and I only managed to escape by running for my life when their density thinned out."

As he spoke, he suddenly burst into a violent fit of coughing. Dark red, bloody foam splattered onto his bandages in a shocking display. "...Hurry... we have to hurry... The fog in the core of the Fog Area... is thickening rapidly... The monsters... are getting more... vicious... We can’t wait... We can’t wait any longer!"

Having forced those last few words out, Vice President Wang seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He leaned back in his chair and fell silent.

Chairman Wu slowly looked up, his gaze sweeping across the various expressions on everyone’s faces, and said, "Old Wang risked his life to scout the route to the berth area for us. We absolutely must go; the boats there are our only chance of survival.

"However, I believe we should scout the location first during our initial trip. Once we confirm the surrounding environment, we can formulate a concrete plan."

A small meeting regarding the exploration of the core area quickly commenced amidst the solemn atmosphere.

***

Room 803, eighth floor of the apartment building.

"I’ll temporarily name you the Red Mist Tomato." Han Ning placed the Red Mist Tomato back into the basin.

Without him pressing on it, the faint red mist gradually stabilized, eventually receding slowly beneath the tomato’s skin. Afterward, Han Ning turned and walked to the neighboring apartment.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in!"

When Han Ning pushed the door open and walked in, Old Xu was holding Yinyin, standing by the windowsill and watching the heavy downpour outside.

"Pack up. We’re moving out tomorrow to the Biyun Resort over by Bailu Port," Han Ning said concisely.

"The Biyun Resort?" Old Xu paused, taken aback. "Boss, what’s the situation over there?"

Han Ning explained, "It’s better than here. There’s a market, the water level is lower, and there are more Awakened, making it relatively safer.

"Pack your things tonight. Focus mainly on food, water, clothes, and other daily necessities. Don’t bring anything overly cumbersome."

"Understood. Don’t worry, Boss!" Old Xu quickly agreed. Then, as if remembering something, he lowered his voice. "Oh right, Boss, about Liu Feng and his group that you asked me to keep an eye on... they seemed to have left this building this morning.

"I deliberately swung by the fourth floor to take a look earlier. Most of the strong, able-bodied guys were gone, leaving behind only some ordinary people with little ability to survive.

"My guess is they found another place to settle or a different gathering area."

"They left?"

Han Ning had originally expected to run into Liu Feng and the others near the Biyun Resort. He didn’t expect that those guys hadn’t headed in the resort’s direction.

According to Lin Qianqian and her group, the Biyun Resort had already absorbed the vast majority of Awakened from the nearby vacation area and even the residential zones further away. Since Liu Feng hadn’t gone there, he likely wanted to establish his own independent faction.

However, Han Ning didn’t have time to deal with that group right now. The most important thing was to improve his own strength as quickly as possible.

***

Early the next morning.

With Han Ning carrying a bulging backpack and Snow Cake carrying Xu Ming and Yinyin—who was clinging tightly to her father’s neck—they waded through the final stretch of muddy water and successfully arrived at the Biyun Resort.

Just as Han Ning lifted Yinyin down, he looked up and locked eyes with Lin Qianqian, who was walking briskly out of a corridor.

She was still dressed in a sleek windbreaker, her long hair tied back. Her charming face bore a rare trace of solemnity. Upon seeing Han Ning, her footsteps paused.

"I was just looking for you," Lin Qianqian cut straight to the chase. Her gaze swept over Xu Ming and his daughter behind him, but she didn’t ask any unnecessary questions.

"What a coincidence. I also need one or two adjacent vacant rooms to settle them in." Han Ning pointed behind him.

"Follow me," Lin Qianqian turned and led the way.

As a vice president of the association, she effortlessly arranged two rooms for Xu Ming and his daughter close to Han Ning’s quarters. After everything was settled, Lin Qianqian showed no intention of leaving, and the two sat down in the resort’s rest area.

"Vice President Wang is back," Lin Qianqian said suddenly.

"Vice President Wang? The Awakened who went to explore the Fog Area alone?"

Han Ning had heard Lin Qianqian and Chen Feng mention this Vice President Wang’s name before. This person had awakened a Superpower geared toward speed and reconnaissance. Because others couldn’t keep up with his pace, he usually operated solo.

Having been missing for two days, everyone assumed he had gotten lost in the Fog Area. To think he actually made it back?