Chapter 70 Exchange of Interests

Chapter 70: Chapter 69: Exchange of Interests

Dark green vines retracted to Han Ning’s side, turning into specks of green light and dissipating into the air.

"I mean no harm.

"I just hope you will seriously consider my request," Han Ning said.

Zou Yu gasped for air, his back drenched in cold sweat.

In that instant just now, he had almost felt the embrace of death.

He had no doubt that if the other party willed it, he would already be a corpse right now.

He swallowed hard, trying to calm himself down. "We... we need to discuss this internally."

"Fine." Han Ning nodded. "But you only have ten minutes."

***

The drying area on the roof of the dormitory building.

Dense raindrops hammered against the canopy, making a loud PITTER-PATTER.

Almost all the survivors in the dormitory building had gathered here.

A few Awakened, led by Zou Yu, stood in the middle of the crowd, all wearing solemn expressions.

"That guy named Han Ning... his strength is too terrifying." Zou Yu’s tone was extremely grave. "My Flame Ability couldn’t even last a second against him. If he wanted to kill any of us, it would probably only take a single thought."

A burly Awakened looked grim and complained to Jun. "Jun, how could you bring such a reaper here? Aren’t you just asking for trouble?"

"I’m sorry... Teacher Zhang, I didn’t mean to." Jun lowered his head, not daring to speak further.

"Alright, don’t give Jun a hard time. He almost lost his life back then; what else did you expect him to do?" Beside them, a bespectacled, gentle-looking young man waved his hand and continued. "Perhaps this is also an opportunity. If he really is that strong, maybe he can help us get rid of the monsters on campus. That way, we can get more supplies, and our people can also be strengthened."

"Don’t trust a stranger’s words so easily..." The speaker was a woman wearing a black windbreaker. She had an oval face and curved eyebrows, exuding a mature and assertive aura. She frowned and said, "Do you even know why he’s taking people away? Is it really for farming, or something else? What if it’s for some... perverted experiments? In this kind of world, you can never truly know someone’s heart. Who knows what his real intentions are!"

Her words made many people’s faces turn even uglier, especially the young female students, whose eyes revealed their fear.

If that weirdo took them away...

The female students immediately imagined bizarre, twisted urban legends of female college students being tortured.

Zou Yu looked at the silent crowd and let out a helpless sigh. "The point is, do we even have the right to refuse? The strength he displayed has already made his stance clear."

In the crowd, a young student standing on the periphery couldn’t help but mutter a complaint. "It’s all Jun’s fault! If it weren’t for him..."

"Enough!" Zou Yu snapped, cutting him off. Although he was also feeling frustrated, now was not the time for infighting.

He looked at the bespectacled young man. "Luo, continue."

The bespectacled guy pushed up his glasses and lowered his voice. "What I mean is, he wants ’experts proficient in agricultural planting.’ He never specified that they had to be Awakened.

"The last thing we lack here are people who understand agriculture. Many of the students and teachers belong to related majors. Rather than letting a precious Awakened leave with him, it would be better to..."

He didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was already obvious.

On the periphery of the crowd, some ordinary students who were listening in began to cause a commotion.

"Fuck! Is Luo Cheng trying to use us ordinary people to trade for benefits?"

"Why should we be the ones? Just because we’re ordinary people?"

"That’s too selfish..."

"Keep your voices down!"

"Everyone, quiet down. That’s not what Luo Cheng meant..." Seeing this, Zou Yu hurriedly pressed his hands down in a calming gesture.

"Then what does he—no, what do you mean?

"We ordinary people help you with chores every day, and sometimes even act as your..."

"Exactly!"

Just as an argument was about to erupt, a slightly hoarse voice interrupted the powder-keg atmosphere. "If Mr. Han really needs manpower for agronomy, I can go."

Everyone paused when they heard the familiar voice. Following the sound, they saw a middle-aged, dark-skinned man with wrinkles on his face slowly raising his hand in the corner.

"Professor Ye!" Zou Yu’s expression changed, and he quickly stepped forward. "Don’t be impulsive. There’s no need for you to step up for something like this."

Professor Ye waved his hand, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. His gaze swept over the faces of Zou Yu and the others, as if he had seen through everything. "Say no more. I’m old. First, I don’t have any awakened abilities. Second, my stamina can’t keep up with you youngsters.

"Staying here, apart from consuming the food that everyone worked so hard to find, I really can’t be of much help.

"Since Mr. Han needs someone who understands agriculture, this old man still has some use."

He paused, his tone calm and accepting. "Just let me go. Using me to secure benefits for everyone is worth it."

"Professor Ye, what are you saying!" a middle-aged male teacher hurriedly spoke up. "You are the treasure of our Agricultural University. How could we let you take such a risk? No matter how difficult things get here, we will never begrudge you a bite to eat!"

"Yes, yes, Old Ye, you absolutely mustn’t think like that!"

"We’ll think of another way..."

Professor Ye maintained his faint smile. He seemed to know what was on their minds and remained silent.

The crowd voiced their pleas for him to stay, their words earnest. However, how many were truly sincere, and how many were just putting on an act due to the circumstances and out of politeness, was unknown.

At this moment, Zou Yu, acting as the Leader, spoke up. "Professor Ye, we understand your intentions, but we can’t be so hasty about this. Let’s discuss it further; there will definitely be a better way..."

***

TAP TAP TAP.

Dense footsteps echoed through the empty corridor.

The hundred or so people who had just disappeared reappeared.

"Mr. Han Ning." Zou Yu walked briskly until he was a few meters away from Han Ning. "We’ve discussed it internally. We can agree to your request, however..."

Han Ning gave a slight nod, gesturing for him to continue.

Zou Yu carefully weighed his words. "We also have a request, or rather... a condition for an exchange. We hope you can take action and help us clear out the pack of monsters occupying the northwestern part of the school."

He carefully observed Han Ning’s reaction. Seeing no change in the other party’s expression, he continued. "That area is extremely dangerous now. Not only are there Fishmen, but there might also be other monsters. Moreover, the terrain is complex, and there are many resource points like convenience stores and cafeterias scattered around. We’ve tried a few times and suffered heavy casualties; we simply can’t get close.

"As long as you can get rid of the most powerful monsters, the remaining pressure will be much smaller for us.

"In exchange, we promise to send an agronomy expert to go with you. Besides that, there are two preconditions we hope you can agree to."

"Speak."

"First," Zou Yu held up two fingers, "you cannot take any supplies from the small shops, supermarkets, or cafeterias we encounter along the way.

"Second, regarding the ordinary Fishmen we encounter on the way... as long as they don’t actively attack you, or if you can easily shake them off, please... try not to kill them.

"You just need to focus on finding and killing the Leader monster. Although they aren’t strong individually, to us Low Tier Awakened, they are an important source of Energy."

"As for resources... no. If I encounter something I need on the way, I will take it. I have the right of first choice." Han Ning’s voice remained flat, betraying neither pleasure nor anger. "Furthermore... I have my own demands."