Chapter 233

Chapter 233

With the disappearance of the Ghostly Ancient Castle, the white fog thinned for a moment, but other areas' fog flowed in, so there wasn't much perceptible difference.

"The white fog and the anomalies are interdependent."

The other students must have realized this too. Ji Xinghai took out the equipment card from the Magical Food House, and the profits kept increasing, indicating that the students were continuously fighting monsters, consuming resources, and placing orders.

At this rate, it was fortunate that everyone had stored enough food; otherwise, even if the delivery personnel worked tirelessly, they couldn't meet the demands of tens of thousands of people.

They still needed more high-level anomalies—he thought about the Ghostly Ancient Castle he had just consumed, which contained many high-level anomalies. Of course, turning them into members of the Gluttonous Feast Sutra wouldn't be a loss either.

Walking through the white fog seemed incredibly difficult, not just psychologically but physically as well.

Since these were merely anomalies, not creatures from another realm, the abandoned roads could still be used, albeit with many plants that would normally be trimmed. They rooted themselves and spread unchecked in a world devoid of human or animal interference.

There weren't many animals left, probably all turned into blood meals—low-level anomalies had to survive somehow, and without humans, animals would suffice.

After walking for most of the night, Ji Xinghai still hadn't reached the edge of the white fog and sighed softly, "Ah Qin, I thought I was fully prepared."

Qin Yu asked cooperatively, "What's missing?"

"A mode of transportation," Ji Xinghai lamented, "I didn't expect to walk such a long distance."

Though he could endure it, why should he?

Even though he recognized the problem, finding an immediate solution was challenging. This wasn't the orderly society on the other side of the passage; this was the wasteland.

Finding a car with fuel in the wasteland was as difficult as finding gold on the street.

How he missed the flying board from the previous scenario.

"I wonder if the human settlements can solve this problem." He looked up at the foggy sky, barely recognizing that dawn was approaching.

However, the fog had already thinned considerably. With over thirty thousand killers here, they had also cleared the fog as they moved. Ji Xinghai could feel that the sticky, gelatinous sensation had weakened significantly.

He wondered how many anomalies needed to die for a qualitative change. The closer to the edge, the thinner the fog became. Now, he could see buildings twenty to thirty meters away, though not clearly, at least not a complete whiteout.

Among these buildings, he saw remnants wearing mismatched clothes, carefully searching the ruins for usable items. Around them were armed defenders who had spotted the approaching figures.

Ji Xinghai and Qin Yu's arrival made their hair stand on end.

"Who are you? Don't come any closer."

The defenders quickly gathered, holding weapons carved with special patterns designed to combat anomalies.

They didn't know if the approaching figures were human or anomalies. They hoped they were human, but the chances were slim. Only powerful beings unafraid of the anomaly realm could freely walk in this weather. But would such individuals visit a small place like theirs?

To their surprise, a gentle voice came from the approaching figures: "Good morning, we're travelers passing through. Is there a supply point nearby?"

Huh?

Really human?

They were skeptical, keeping their guns raised. Even high-level anomalies could mimic human speech and behavior to hunt.

As the visitors finally came into full view,

"Hisss." They subconsciously tightened their grip on their guns.

Ten years of thick fog had reshuffled human power dynamics, causing civilization to regress. While they could still obtain food and various necessities from nature, non-essential light industries had ceased production. Most people could only use goods from nine years ago, including clothing.

However, the white fog had a slight corrosive effect on exposed items, leaving everyone in tattered clothes.

The last time they saw someone so well-dressed was at the annual meeting, where the district chief carefully brought out her expensive outfit to celebrate the New Year before sealing it away again.

But looking at the two figures before them,

The young man leading the way had a rich, handsome appearance like a rose, his shoulder-length hair casually tied back with a navy blue ribbon.

The ribbon matched his navy blue jeans, and he wore a classic white shirt with expensive fabric, fastened with white mother-of-pearl buttons.

The man trailing behind him wore sunglasses, his lips tightly pressed, resembling an emotionless machine. Despite his striking appearance, he blended into the shadows behind the man in white, lacking presence.

Yet the defenders, experienced with anomalies, felt an immediate threat from the man in black—a natural instinct formed from dealing with dangerous creatures.

Such a terrifying figure willingly stood in the shadow of the man in white, indicating the latter's strength.

Most importantly, both men carried no backpacks or luggage, suggesting they either had a car nearby or possessed legendary storage items.

The nearest defender swallowed nervously, increasingly suspecting that the two were high-level anomalies rather than humans.

But then the man in white suddenly pulled out a handful of dark beads, one of which fell to the ground: "Can we trade? I have plenty of these."

In the white fog, there were many anomalies, but those of low level weren't worth much. However, this world's anomalies dropped several Anomaly Coins upon death, so he collected them.

Initially, he didn't understand why the anomalies dropped Anomaly Coins, but he soon figured it out.

Due to the dense anomaly energy surrounding this world, when anomalies died, their energy dispersed. Because the concentration of anomalies in the fog was so high, it automatically condensed into Anomaly Coins.

Anomaly Coins?

The defender's eyes widened, staring at the Anomaly Coin rolling on the ground, the 'least valuable' one he had ever seen, ignored by its owner.

"Please wait a moment, our captain will be right over." The defender still couldn't determine if they were human or anomalies but knew he couldn't provoke them, so he remained polite.

"Do they look poor? Will they have what we need?" Ji Xinghai leaned slightly back, whispering to Qin Yu.

Even if he whispered softer and farther away, Qin Yu could still hear him, but after hesitating for two seconds, he decided against explaining further.

As the squad leader hurried over, he saw the scene of the unfamiliar visitor talking to the man.

The man in white was radiant, his smiling eyes carrying the lingering grandeur of prosperity, while the man in black remained motionless but seemed to be constantly watching his companion. They formed their own space, one that even the thick fog couldn't penetrate.

The squad leader slowed his steps and approached only after the two finished talking (in reality, it was one person speaking and the other listening).

Unlike the soldier, the squad leader could tell they were human—well, at least the man in white was human. No matter how human-like the anomalies were, they lacked human emotions in their eyes. "Hello, I am the squad leader of the defense team from Survivor Community 737. My name is Han Yi."

"Ji Xinghai, just passing through. Do you happen to have any operational vehicles in your community?"

Not here to cause trouble. The squad leader breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes, we do, but I have a mission and need to stay here for another eight hours."

"Eight hours," he frowned slightly. "Can you point me in the right direction? We've been wandering in this thick fog for hours, and I'm getting tired of it."

Wandering in the thick fog for hours?

The squad leader was startled, almost asking, 'Didn't you encounter any anomaly zones?' He knew there were three or four small anomaly zones near their survivor community, which prevented them from expanding their scavenging area due to the danger they posed.

Despite his many questions, the squad leader still gave them directions. After all, anyone could provide such information.

"Thank you." The man in white gave him two Anomaly Coins as a token of gratitude before turning and stepping into the white fog. The man in black, who hadn't spoken a word, silently followed him into the fog, disappearing quickly.

As soon as they left, the soldier eagerly bent down to pick up the Anomaly Coin on the ground, chuckling: "Captain, this one..."

"Keep it." The captain had already pocketed the Anomaly Coin. This was unexpected wealth; he earned only two Anomaly Coins a day.

These two must have come from some major power; they were indeed generous.

With the correct route map, reaching the human survivor community became much easier. Within half an hour, they encountered a large group of humans out gathering supplies.

They were dressed even more raggedly than the previous group, but their spirits were good, and they were clean. It seemed that water in this world was safe, allowing everyone to wash themselves.

"The previous group was searching abandoned human settlements for usable supplies, so they were a scavenging team. These people gather plants in the wild, so they should be called a gathering team, right?" Ji Xinghai thought about the gathering and hunting teams of primitive societies, finding similarities between them.

However, with survival being the primary focus, development was difficult. Industrialization was necessary to liberate productivity and return to the past.

Ji Xinghai observed the gathering crowd, who were also observing him.

The white fog separated the human living areas, and ordinary people only gathered and scavenged near their homes. Only the extraordinary individuals capable of killing anomalies dared to venture into the white fog.

Extraordinary individuals were special beings, forming the strongest fighting force of the community.

This small base occasionally received outsiders, but few like them. They couldn't determine who these people were, only that they were not to be trifled with. Thus, they restrained their curiosity, only stealing glances.

It was the defensive team around the gathering team that approached cautiously, wearing mismatched protective suits, and asked the visitors: "This is Survivor Community 737. What brings you here?"

"Hello, do you have any cars and fuel here? Perhaps I have something you need." Ji Xinghai smiled warmly, but his striking appearance and strong aura, coupled with Qin Yu's imposing presence behind him, didn't help bridge the gap. The squad leader's first reaction was to be cautious, knowing either they were powerful or had significant backing, or both.

"Please follow me." As the squad leader led them toward the outskirts of the survivor community, he sent someone to notify those in charge.

By the time Ji Xinghai and his companion were ushered into a relatively clean room, the deputy mayor of the community arrived.

After pleasantries, the deputy mayor tentatively asked what Ji Xinghai could offer and mentioned that they did have some operational small cars, but fuel was scarce. Fortunately, their team would venture into the white fog in a few days, where more fuel was stored.

"Fuel is indeed a problem."

He had anticipated this, but not to this extent, requiring venturing into the white fog.

Even if they obtained fuel, would they have to keep finding new sources once it ran out? That would be exhausting.

Ji Xinghai pondered for a moment, then an idea struck him: Could he find a vehicle that doesn't consume fuel?

"Do you have any anomalous cars nearby? I can go restock."

The deputy mayor snapped the glue-repaired glasses frame: "Restock? What kind of goods?"