The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 163

"Take it all, leave not a single piece of sheet metal!" Vice President Zhao ordered.

...

Back in the cave settlement, although Ying had won, the atmosphere was far from relaxed.

The core members gathered in the conference room, but their faces showed little joy.

"The Rock will not let the loss of an elite reconnaissance team go unpunished."

Chairman Wu's expression was grave as he tapped his fingers on the simple map on the table.

"The next one to come is likely to be their true core fighting force."

Vice President Zhao crossed his arms and spoke in a low voice:

"There are over three hundred people in the Rock Gathering Area, and more than one hundred of them are Awakened. If they all come out, it will be very difficult for us..."

Rock isn't exactly top-tier, but it's still a gathering place for over three hundred people. To put it bluntly, you could overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

"Don't panic, Blackie is just a Black Stone level expert, at most a Black Iron level expert."

Seeing his subordinates looking worried, Han Ning felt anxious, but with him and Xuebing in charge, he didn't feel like a major disaster was about to strike.

After all, Black Iron grade and Black Stone grade are not even in the same league.

Moreover, he can summon combat allies, including a group of water-shooting gourds.

The number of water spouting melons in the current cluster area has doubled since the relocation.

The total number is approximately 30 plants.

Later, considering the shortage of energy stones and their need to be used for developing other projects, the cultivation of water-spraying cucumbers was discontinued.

With Han Ning's words as reassurance, the expressions on everyone's faces softened somewhat.

His role as a pillar of support becomes apparent when important events occur.

His current concern is not whether he will win or not, but how to minimize personnel losses and maximize profits after a victory.

"Boss, what are your thoughts?" Everyone looked at Han Ning, their eyes filled with anticipation.

"Just do what you normally do, be relaxed on the outside but tight on the inside."

Han Ning thought for a moment, then spoke frankly.

"However... your strength is still too weak."

Han Ning stood by the conference room window, looking at the rain curtain at the cave entrance, and said:

"To be honest, our growth in strength has stagnated for a while now. Regular hunting is too inefficient. We need to find a place with stronger and more dangerous monsters to train in."

Considering the severe power gap among the awakened individuals in the current settlement area.

He was far superior to everyone else, and none of his subordinates were even slightly weaker than him among the awakened ones.

Relying solely on Chairman Wu and Vice Chairman Zhao might be too much for them to handle against the enemy's top awakened individuals.

In addition, Han Ning felt that he had not absorbed enough energy for many days.

So he revealed the plan he had arranged beforehand:

"I'll ask Xiao Ba if there are any powerful monsters nearby."

"The Black Snake Skin Armor has just been developed, and our people have gained a certain level of combat capability. Before the enemy arrives, let's begin a large-scale training exercise for all personnel."

Han Ning had actually considered this plan a long time ago, but due to being busy with construction, it had to be postponed.

As the saying goes, plans can't keep up with changes. Since there has been a conflict with survivors from other settlements, the plan might as well be brought forward.

"Xiao Ba, is Xiao Ba here?"

As he spoke, Han Ning shouted towards the outside of the conference room, while simultaneously releasing a wave of energy full of vitality.

Ever since Xiao Ba came into contact with humans who possessed all sorts of strange and unusual things, this little guy has often stayed in the gathering area.

"Cuckoo?"

Little Ba, who was holding a piece of extraordinary log and earnestly carving something on it with its forelimbs, moved its antennae, stuffed the log into its pouch, flapped its wings, and flew over.

"Buzz?"

Xiao Ba landed next to Han Ning, raised its head, and looked at the latter with a puzzled expression.

Han Ning crouched down and used gentle mental fluctuations to convey the message:

"Are there any monsters in this mountain range that are more powerful than the Demon Eye Frog, and that are not too powerful?"

"Gu..."

It needs to be impressive, but not too impressive.

Hachi blinked, twitched its antennae, and fell into thought.

After a while,

Its chubby body drew an arc in the air, pointing north with its forelimbs, making cooing noises, and gesturing with its limbs.

"Hmm...you mean there's a special body of water in the northern part of the mountains that's been polluted by the Kuroshio Current?"

Han Ning's expression shifted.

This mountain range is not only affected by the Kuroshio Current in the direction of their Egret City.

The northern, western, and eastern parts of the mountain range were also polluted by the Kuroshio Current.

The main human settlement area is currently located on the south side of the mountains.

The information Jiang Lin had previously provided was all based on the Rock Gathering Area where he was located.

The Rock Cluster is located in the southern part of the mountains, near the ruins of Egret City.

"Coo coo coo!" Xiao Ba added.

"Oh... I see." Han Ning suddenly realized.

According to Xiaoba's description, there is a low-lying area in the mountains where creatures have undergone mutations due to long-term consumption of water influenced by the Kuroshio Current.

The weakest are comparable to the Black Stone level, and there are even "big guys" that can make Xiao Ba tremble.

Although those monsters were terrifying, Xiao Ba explained that they weren't very intelligent. Compared to the wise treasure-hunting bee clan, those monsters acted entirely on instinct.

This perfectly matches everyone's first impression of being affected by the Kuroshio Current.

Chapter 184 Xiao Ba's Advice

"How far is it from here?" Han Ning asked, intrigued.

"Coo coo, gurgle gurgle!" Little Ba shook its front paws.

"It's quite far, about twenty kilometers..."

Han Ning used the translation of the will of nature to roughly summarize what Xiao Ba said.

About 20 kilometers north of the Biyun settlement, in a forest that was flooded but still has lush vegetation, live many native creatures that were originally part of this mountain range and were affected by the Kuroshio Current.

Xiao Ba called that place the "Black Fog Forest".

Now they have become monsters that only know how to destroy, and are spreading outward with the black tide, polluting the territories of other normal creatures.

Along with Xiao Ba and his treasure-hunting bee clan, some of the more closely related bee groups were affected to varying degrees and were forced to migrate to other places.

In addition, Xiao Ba reminded Han Ning that although those creatures were not intelligent, they were born with a variety of unique abilities. If one did not know the characteristics of their abilities, one could easily lose one's life. If he were to go, it would be best to bring Xiao Ba along, or he could help introduce some of their kind to guide him.

Humanity's challenges lie in two aspects: its strength and its intelligence.

They will track, launch coordinated attacks, and devise various plans; it's a real headache.

But when facing monsters, it's purely the law of the jungle: it's all about who has the bigger fist.

"Thanks for the reminder." Han Ning patted Xiao Ba's fluffy head.

The octopus is actually an insect with extremely strong fighting power.

Han Ning conservatively estimates that if Xiao Ba has a level, it would be at least level 9 or 10.

Because the battle companions he summons are generally not much weaker than him.

Although Hachi's magical energy fluctuations were not strong, all of it was hidden among his fluffy short hairs.

One spear thrust would probably pierce through the snow cake's scales.

Han Ning naturally took the suggestion regarding such a powerful insect very seriously.

I will absolutely not ignore it.

Even Xiaoba repeatedly warned that it was dangerous there.

He must be fully prepared.

As for whether or not to enter, it is definitely necessary to enter.

Since monsters have relatively low intelligence, there is more room for maneuver.

While Han Ning was talking to Xiao Ba, he also shared the information with the others.

"So... I've decided to send you to the Black Mist Forest to try and break through your limits."

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was heavy, and everyone held their breath as they listened to Han Ning's account.

“Black Mist Forest…” Vice President Zhao frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his face showing a mixture of excitement and worry.

"It sounds like a dangerous place, but it's also a good opportunity to improve your skills."

This guy has an adventurous spirit in his body, which makes others feel despair and worry when they are transported to another world.

Only he showed unusual curiosity.

Of course, it's related to his awakening of powerful superpowers.

Chairman Wu appeared more composed. He crossed his arms, leaned back in his chair, and asked:

"How many people does the boss plan to take?"

"This operation is to raise the team's combat strength ceiling. It's best if all the original vice presidents go, while the others stay in the gathering area to continue construction and defense work."

"The operation will not take too long. If all goes well, we should be able to return within five days."