Chapter 69 Where Did This Poser Come From

Chapter 69: Chapter 68: Where Did This Poser Come From

"Well... how about you head to where we’re staying first? There are a lot of people there, and we can all travel together as a group."

"What’s your major?" Han Ning asked.

"We’re all landscape architecture majors..."

"...Landscape architecture... That’s useless."

Han Ning initially wanted to refuse, but considering he was currently looking for an expert in agriculture, he nodded. "Lead the way."

He whipped out vines, wrapping them around the waists of the three people. As light flickered, the Spiritual Power of the Rejuvenation Technique flowed along the vines, helping to heal their external injuries. This was a little trick he had developed.

Through further questioning, Han Ning learned that Jun and the others had been attacked by the Fishmen while out scavenging for food. Most survivors attacked in the wild were out there because of food. If they weren’t short on food, no one would casually run out and risk their lives.

To Han Ning’s surprise, Jun was actually an Awakened with a speed-related ability. However, he had only awakened recently, so his power was still quite weak.

Under Jun’s guidance, Han Ning led the three still-shaken students through the flooded waters, arriving at the base of a relatively intact student dormitory building located in the South District of Agricultural University.

The first floor of the building had been submerged, but the third floor and above remained above the water’s surface. Most of the windows were boarded up with wood or debris, making the place look heavily guarded.

"Who’s there?! Stop right there!"

Han Ning’s sudden appearance, with his distinctive outsider features, immediately drew the intense attention of the survivors inside the dormitory. He was halted by the building’s guards, and several wary gazes shot down from the gaps in the barricades.

Ignoring the warnings, Han Ning said to Jun, "Go, call the Steward here, or whoever calls the shots."

Jun did not dare to delay. He nodded hurriedly, struggling alongside Lin Wei, who had just caught her breath, to support their unconscious companion as they waded upstairs.

Soon, the sounds of rushing footsteps and shouting echoed through the dormitory. A short while later, with Jun vouching for him, Han Ning entered the building and walked up the stairs to the third floor.

By the time he arrived, the corridor was packed with people. At a rough glance, there were over a hundred of them. Most were young students whose state of Spirit was fairly decent. There were also a few older men and women, likely teachers or school staff. Scattered among the crowd were individuals whose demeanors were noticeably sharper—most likely Awakened.

Han Ning’s appearance caused the previously noisy corridor to fall dead silent. Everyone’s gaze converged on him. By now, he had shed his Fishman gill features and returned to looking like a normal human.

Han Ning swept his gaze across the crowd and, before the school’s survivors could speak, seized the initiative. "Who is the strongest Awakened here? Or rather, who is the Steward right now? Step forward."

As his words fell, everyone’s eyes unanimously turned toward a man standing at the very front of the crowd. He appeared to be in his early thirties, not particularly tall, with chiseled features.

Facing everyone’s gazes, the man simply accepted the silent nomination.

"My name is Zou Yu," he said. "I’m temporarily responsible for coordinating things here. And who might you be?" Zou Yu looked Han Ning up and down with questioning eyes.

"Han Ning, a passing Awakened." Han Ning briefly introduced himself before continuing, "Leader Zou, I want to recruit an expert among you who is highly proficient in agricultural planting, specifically in crop cultivation, soil and fertilizers, and pest control.

"A teacher would be best. I need them to help me manage a planting zone.

"In exchange, I can provide you with some food within the limits of my ability, or I can do one thing for you."

Zou Yu and the surrounding students and teachers were left utterly bewildered by Han Ning’s presumptuous manner. Imagine a complete stranger of unknown strength suddenly running up to you and saying he wanted to recruit one of your companions. Most people would be baffled.

"Recruit an expert?" Zou Yu furrowed his brows, clearly unconvinced. "At a time like this, you want us to trust a man who suddenly appeared out of nowhere with an unknown background?

"Anyone can make empty promises. Why should we believe you have the capability, and why should we believe you’ll keep your word after taking someone away?

"The people here have only survived by supporting each other," he added, leaning forward slightly. "They aren’t yours to take just because you say so."

"You don’t believe me, perhaps simply because you aren’t familiar with the extent of my abilities." Han Ning could understand the other party’s mentality. Although this approach would make others think he was arrogant and a show-off, he felt it was the most efficient method.

He smiled. "It seems a little proof is required."

He had actually been observing in secret. There were still Fishman monsters frequently roaming the outskirts of the dormitory area, which meant that the Extraordinary level of this group couldn’t be very high.

As his words fell, the air around Han Ning subtly distorted. Without any warning, dark green vines instantaneously shot out from the void in front of, beside, and even behind him. They swayed slowly, flashing with emerald-green light. Like pythons coiling around Han Ning, they exuded an inexplicable, oppressive presence.

"Please retreat into the adjacent dorm rooms and clear the middle of this hallway," Han Ning said. "Give me a ten-meter distance."

No one dared to hesitate. Under the intimidation of those vines, the crowd rapidly receded into the dorm rooms on either side like the ebbing tide, vacating a ten-meter-long path in the middle.

Zou Yu’s expression grew solemn. He stood rooted to the spot, understanding that Han Ning’s target was him.

"Whether you are willing or not, I will give you three seconds to prepare. In three seconds, I will launch an unrestrained attack against you," Han Ning declared, then began the countdown. "Three."

The vines around him accelerated their swaying, bringing invisible pressure to bear on Zou Yu.

"You bastard..." Facing the calm-faced man before him, Zou Yu felt a suffocating oppression. The Energy inside his body seemed to flow faster in response to the vines the other party had summoned.

WHOOSH!

A pale blue flame ignited out of thin air, rapidly spreading in front of him to form a blazing wall of fire. The flames danced, radiating a searing heat. This was his awakened ability.

"Two," Han Ning said without the slightest pause.

The pale blue wall of fire had just taken shape, its flickering light illuminating Zou Yu’s stern face.

"One."

The instant the word "One" dropped, the dozen or so still, dark green vines abruptly moved.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!!

They transformed into dark green afterimages that tore through the air, shooting forward like lightning at a speed that surpassed the absolute limits of visual perception.

PSHH! PSHH! PSHH! PSHH!

The pale blue wall of fire couldn’t hold them back for even half a second before a dozen holes were forcibly punched straight through it. The flames violently flickered, emitting an agonizing SIZZLE before being forcefully snuffed out by an invisible power.

"This... is so fast!" Zou Yu’s pupils shrank, his eyes reflecting the dark green afterimages. The solemnity on his face instantly morphed into sheer horror. Every hair on his body stood on end.

WHOOSH~

A gentle breeze swept past, rustling his slightly long hair. In the blink of an eye, the tips of a dozen dark green vines had—without him even noticing when—quietly hovered less than ten centimeters away from his skin.