Chapter 49: News

Han Ning felt as if his head had been slammed into scorching hot gravel—burning and swollen, the world before his eyes twisting into a bizarre spectacle. The walls seemed to warp, the rain outside the balcony transformed into an inverted crimson waterfall, and incoherent shouts from Xuebing echoed in his ears.

His sense of touch became chaotic, sometimes drifting among the clouds, other times weighed down by heavy sludge.

“Uh... must have eaten some kind of mushroom,” he muttered with a groan, staggering to brace himself against the wall and shaking his head vigorously.

The overwhelming dizziness and sensory confusion came on fiercely but faded just as quickly. Though lasting only a few seconds, cold sweat had already soaked his forehead, and his heartbeat thundered like a drum.

The intense vertigo and hallucinations soon vanished completely.

Catching his breath, Han Ning looked down at a tomato with a small bite taken out of it in his hand, his eyes filled with suspicion and doubt.

“It doesn’t seem edible—more like some kind of biological weapon…”

The enhancement effect from this natural blessing was truly unexpected.

At present, Han Ning felt no beneficial effects—his spirit hadn’t increased, his energy remained unchanged, and no surge of power welled within him.

Only negative effects!

But then again, if someone like him, a druid, felt dizzy from just a tiny bite, what about the monsters devouring the entire fruit? Wouldn’t they be instantly incapacitated?

“I’ll try taking it into the Mist Zone tomorrow…”

The thought sparked a flicker of excitement in Han Ning’s heart.

…

At the Biyun Resort, inside a hotel conference room, flickering candlelight cast uncertain shadows on a dozen faces.

Around the central meeting table sat a group of people, their gazes fixed intently on Chairman Wu and a figure wrapped entirely in bandages beside him.

No one had expected Vice Chairman Wang, who had ventured into the Mist Zone days ago and failed to return, to come back today.

“Old Wang,” Chairman Wu’s tone was grave as he broke the silence, “What exactly happened during your two days in the Mist Zone?”

Vice Chairman Wang bore heavy injuries, but his spirit looked surprisingly intact.

He swallowed hard, his lips moving slowly: “We found the core area of the berth.”

“Oh?”

Those words dropped like water hitting hot oil, shattering the tense atmosphere. Everyone instinctively straightened, curiosity brightening their faces.

“I investigated—it’s accessible through the control room of the underwater gate in the abandoned No. 3 maintenance passage,” Wang continued.

“But…”

His tone shifted.

“The guarding monsters are formidable.”

“Besides various wandering beasts, there’s a clearly dominant leader.”

“I didn’t dare get too close, but I faintly saw that creature was huge, nearly six meters long and over two and a half meters tall, like a gigantic tuna covered in bony armor.”

“And on its back, there was a glowing cluster of coral.”

“When I stared at that coral, my mind went blank, and the surrounding monsters suddenly detected me.”

“At the critical moment, I came to my senses and hid in the Mist Zone for two days, barely evading the monsters’ pursuit…”

“Two days hiding?” Director Wu frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you return sooner?”

Wang took a breath, his eyes bloodshot and voice urgent:

“The path to the resort was blocked by countless monsters. I had to hide in abandoned containers or buildings, escaping desperately whenever the monster density lessened.”

As he spoke, Wang suddenly coughed violently, dark red blood splattering the bandages—shocking in its intensity.

“…Soon… very soon… the fog in the core area of the Mist Zone… is thickening rapidly… the monsters… growing… fiercer… We can’t wait… can’t wait any longer!”

Having said this, Vice Chairman Wang slumped back in his chair, utterly drained of strength, silent.

Chairman Wu slowly raised his head, eyes scanning the varied expressions around the room, then spoke:

“Old Wang risked his life to chart a path to the berth area. We must go—those ships are our only chance to survive.”

“But I believe the first trip should be a reconnaissance—to assess the surroundings before making concrete plans.”

Thus, amidst a solemn atmosphere, a meeting about exploring the core area commenced swiftly.

…

On the eighth floor of an apartment building, room 803.

“Let’s temporarily name it the Red Mist Tomato.”

Han Ning placed the tomato back into the pot.

Without pressure, the faint red mist gradually stabilized, then slowly vanished beneath the tomato’s skin.

Then Han Ning turned and walked to the next room.

“Tap, tap, tap~”

“Come in!”

As he opened the door, Lao Xu stood by the windowsill holding Yinyin, gazing out at the heavy rain.

“Pack up. Tomorrow we move—heading to Biyun Resort near Egret Harbor,” Han Ning said succinctly.

“Biyun Resort?”

Lao Xu hesitated. “Boss, what’s the situation there?”

Han Ning explained:

“It’s better than here—there’s a marketplace, lower water levels, more awakeners, and it’s relatively safer.”

“Pack your things tonight—mainly food, water, clothes, and daily necessities. Leave behind any unnecessary burdens.”

“Understood, boss! Don’t worry!”

Lao Xu quickly agreed, then lowered his voice as if remembering something:

“By the way, boss, about Liu Feng and his group you told me to watch… They seemed to have left this building this morning.”

“I passed by the fourth floor this morning. Most of the strong, healthy ones have left, only some ordinary people without survival skills remain.”

“They probably found another place to settle or gather.”

“They left?”

Han Ning had expected to encounter Liu Feng’s group near Biyun Resort but was surprised they were heading elsewhere.

According to Lin Qianqian and her companions, Biyun Resort had absorbed most awakeners from nearby vacation and even distant residential areas.

Liu Feng not going there probably meant he intended to establish his own faction.

But Han Ning had no time to care about them now—what mattered was quickly increasing his own strength.

…

Early the next morning.

Han Ning carried a bulging backpack, with Xuebing carrying Xu Ming and Yinyin tightly clutching her father’s neck, wading through the last stretch of murky water to reach Biyun Resort safely.

Just as Han Ning set Yinyin down, he looked up and met Lin Qianqian briskly walking out of the stairwell.

She wore her usual sleek windbreaker, her long hair tied back, her enchanting face marked by a rare seriousness. Seeing Han Ning, she paused.

“I was just looking for you,” Lin Qianqian said directly, her gaze briefly sweeping over Xu Ming and Yinyin behind him, asking no further questions.

“Coincidentally, I also need one or two adjacent empty rooms to settle them,” Han Ning said, gesturing behind him.

“Follow me.” Lin Qianqian turned to lead the way.

As the association’s vice president, Lin Qianqian easily arranged two rooms near Han Ning’s for Xu Ming and Yinyin.

After finishing the arrangements, Lin Qianqian showed no sign of leaving. The two sat together in the resort’s lounge.

“Vice Chairman Wang has returned,” Lin Qianqian suddenly said.

“Vice Chairman Wang? The awakener who went alone to explore the Mist Zone?”

Han Ning had heard of Vice Chairman Wang from Lin Qianqian and Chen Feng.

Wang’s power specialized in speed and reconnaissance, moving too fast for others to follow, so he usually acted alone.

He had been missing for two days, and everyone had assumed he was lost in the Mist Zone.

Now, he was back?