The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 38

It is unwise to waste precious resources for a moment of pleasure.

Wouldn't it be better to take off on your own?

He carried the snow cakes and turned towards a relatively quiet corner of the banquet hall.

As he passed an inconspicuous stall, two rusty iron cages caught his attention.

A faint fishy smell wafted over.

The cage didn't contain cats, dogs, chickens, or ducks, but rather several gray rabbits.

Next to the iron cage, there was also an acrylic water tank.

In the murky water tank, four fish with tea-yellow and bluish-green scales could be vaguely seen, bobbing up and down in the water, barely breathing.

"Gulu..."

Upon seeing these animals, Han Ning's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

meat!

I've been eating compressed biscuits, canned food, and white rice for almost a month now, and my mouth is practically tasteless.

He had already eaten all the thawed meat that was still edible.

He had forgotten how long it had been since he had tasted fresh meat.

"Boss, how do I change these?" Han Ning asked, squatting in front of the cage.

The stall owner was a lean, middle-aged man with droopy eyelids, looking rather listless.

He raised his eyelids and glanced at Han Ning, then at the fierce-looking Xuebing beside him, before slowly speaking:

Which one do you want?

"There are three grass carp here, two males and one female; one male crucian carp; and four rabbits, three males and one female."

"One male fish, 3 cans of meat or equivalent food, or points."

"Female rabbits are more expensive, costing the same as three male rabbits, and require nine cans of food. The same goes for rabbits; male rabbits cost six cans of food each, while female rabbits cost 18."

"So expensive..." Han Ning frowned.

A pair of rabbits requires 24 cans of food.

If you're going to buy one, you should definitely buy a male and a female pair, so they can breed easily.

However, considering that this is the end times, if living animals are not specially protected and bred, their numbers will definitely decrease and they will become increasingly precious.

Selling it at a higher price is normal, but this price... is quite expensive for Han Ning himself.

Moreover, fish are difficult to raise in such an environment; they might die within two days of being bought, resulting in a complete loss of money.

Rabbits are also prone to sudden death if not raised with specialized techniques...

"Too expensive." Han Ning shook his head. "Can the price of the female rabbits be lowered? 18 cans of food are enough for one person to eat for several days."

The stall owner chuckled and tapped the cage with his withered fingers:

"Expensive? Brother, don't you know what kind of world we live in?"

"Do you know how much risk I took to get these live animals? Female rabbits can have babies; if raised properly, they're like golden goose eggs. Eighteen cans of food, not a single one can be missing."

"If you think it's too expensive, you can look elsewhere."

The other party remained resolute and showed no intention of backing down.

"Never mind." Han Ning waved his hand regretfully and left the stall.

Han Ning then strolled around the banquet hall.

He walked up to a relatively busy stall.

On the table were several unopened canisters of portable gas stove, several packets of solid alcohol blocks, and some bottled liquid alcohol. There was also a small bucket of diesel fuel next to the table.

"How do I change the gas canister and the alcohol block?" Han Ning asked.

The stall owner was a burly man wearing construction clothes, and his tone was fairly polite.

"One box of gas canisters (4 canisters) can be exchanged for 4 cans of meat or equivalent compressed biscuits and rice. One pack of solid alcohol blocks (10 blocks) can be exchanged for 2 cans of food."

"A 500ml bottle of liquid alcohol can be exchanged for one can of food. Diesel is more expensive; this small 5-liter bucket can be exchanged for 15 cans of food."

"Tsk...not cheap."

In the apocalypse, energy is just as valuable as food, and its price is undoubtedly high.

Han Ning quickly made a mental calculation.

In his backpack, besides a few bottles of water and a small amount of emergency food, there were mainly canned goods.

This is his strongest currency at the moment.

Knowing that I would be out for a long time today, I brought 10 cans of luncheon meat with me.

"I need two gas canisters and three packets of solid alcohol." Han Ning counted out the corresponding cans from his backpack and handed them over. "Eight cans."

The burly man took the cans, weighed them in his hand, confirmed the packaging was intact, nodded in satisfaction, and handed two gas canisters and three packets of alcohol blocks in plastic bags to Han Ning: "Deal! You're a straightforward guy, brother!"

Having replenished his energy, Han Ning felt much more at ease.

He then traded the remaining two cans of food and a pack of compressed biscuits for a small roll of fairly sturdy nylon rope and a small box of waterproof matches.

And an entrenching tool.

Compared to energy and food, these tools and supplies are not so expensive.

Han Ning felt that he was not lacking in attack methods now, and that getting a multi-purpose entrenching tool would allow him to do a lot of things.

Even in close-quarters combat, the entrenching tool can be used as a weapon.

Looking at his backpack, which was now mostly empty, Han Ning didn't linger any longer. He took Xuebing, who was still somewhat reluctant to leave the market, and prepared to head back.

...

While Han Ning was selecting supplies at the banquet hall market, inside the presidential suite on the top floor of the resort's main building...

The heavy curtains blocked out the sound of the torrential rain outside the window.

A few candles were lit in the dimly lit room, their flickering light casting long and short shadows on the three figures sitting around the sofa, creating a solemn and mysterious atmosphere.

Chen Feng and Lu Yunping, their bodies bandaged, stood respectfully before the three.

"The three presidents." Chen Feng nodded politely.

Sitting on the central armchair was a man who looked to be around forty years old. He had a calm face, deep eyes, and was wearing a dark gray shirt.

"Xiao Chen, is there something you need?" The middle-aged man smiled slightly.

"President Wu, we have recruited a powerful Awakened One today, and we have come here specifically to inform everyone," Chen Feng replied truthfully.

"Oh?" The man sitting on the left raised an eyebrow, showing interest, and said, "Tell me about it."

Chen Feng took a deep breath and recounted in detail his encounter with Han Ning, especially the brief but thrilling battle.

He neither exaggerated nor belittled, but objectively described Han Ning's bizarre and powerful ability to manipulate vines, as well as the ferocious crocodile lizard that was clearly tamed.

"His vine technique is not only exceptionally tough, numerous, and fast, but it can also instantly unleash hundreds of sharp wooden spikes, forming a comprehensive attack that leaves no blind spots. My wind shield... was almost instantly pierced."

Lu Yunping added from the side, "Moreover, he seems to be immune to or able to quickly get rid of the mental illusions of the mirage worms, which is very rare."

"All things considered, Han Ning's strength... is probably no less than that of the three presidents."

"No less than us?"

Chairman Wu, who was in charge, not only showed no displeasure, but also revealed great interest.

"For you, Chen Feng, to give such an evaluation, it seems you really have some skills."

"Immune to mental illusions... This ability is invaluable when exploring foggy areas."

Chapter 42 Old Friend

President Wu paused for a moment, then slowly asked, "What is his personality like? What is his attitude towards the association?"

Chen Feng recalled Han Ning's performance and answered cautiously:

“He is very vigilant and doesn’t like to communicate with people too much, but he is principled. I set the conditions, and after he passed the test, he joined without asking any questions.”

"Hmm." Chairman Wu nodded. "People like this often don't like to be constrained."

"President, should we invite him over for a chat now? To show how much we value his work?" Chen Feng asked tentatively.

Before Chairman Wu could speak, the strong young man next to him shook his head:

"That's not appropriate. Judging from your description, this person is clearly a lone wolf and extremely vigilant."

“If we meet with him rashly, he will probably not see it as valuing us, but as a test and surveillance. It will only arouse his resentment and vigilance. You can’t force a relationship, especially at this time.”

He was a bit younger, around twenty-eight or twenty-nine, with a strong build, short hair like steel needles, and a voice like thunder, full of energy.

President Wu nodded slightly: "Vice President Zhao is right. The only way to deal with this kind of person is to get to know them slowly and warm them up with our attitude."

"But...we have limited time now, and Vice President Wang is deeply entangled in the fog, at risk of getting lost at any moment!" Chen Feng said anxiously.

A brief silence fell over the suite, broken only by the soft crackling of the candlelight and the muffled sound of rain outside the window.

"Han Ning?"

Just then, a barely perceptible murmur rang out in the darkness.

Then, a pleasant, slightly languid, and magnetic female voice broke the silence from the shadows inside the suite:

"Let me go and get to know him."

Inside the suite, the air seemed to freeze for a moment as that languid, magnetic female voice faded away.

Chairman Wu and the burly man both showed expressions of surprise.

Chen Feng and Lu Yunping shifted their gaze to the shadows where the sound was coming from, their faces filled with undisguised surprise.

It should be noted that Vice President Lin, who volunteered for the position, possesses unfathomable strength and is widely recognized within the association as being no less capable than any other vice president. He also has outstanding management and coordination skills.

Of the more than fifty awakened members in the association, nearly a third had a good relationship with her and were willing to follow her arrangements.

Strangely, this vice president, who possesses both good looks and a refined demeanor, has never been involved in any romantic scandals with anyone, always maintaining an enigmatic distance.