It was night, silent and still.
The whole Sanctuary seemed to have an indescribable atmosphere.
As if a storm was brewing!
Suddenly, a gust of wind rustled through the treetops, lifting fallen leaves high before they suddenly fell.
Inside a relatively intact villa, the lights were dim, reflecting even darker faces.
Ding Qiang took a deep breath and spoke first, "Everyone has seen the notice from the Sanctuary, right? What do you think?"
"What else can we think? A Sanctuary with only a few Awakeners trying to order us around, is that possible? I believe everyone here shares my thoughts."
"Right! How could we be at the Sanctuary's beck and call? What's with this patrol team nonsense, asking us to go out searching for supplies and follow orders? They want us dead! We barely made it to this area where Demonized Beasts are rare, and it's best if we never see another one again. Having enough to eat and drink every day is just fine. There's no way I'm fighting Demonized Beasts!"
"Forget the patrol team, even a regular transport team can't expect me to join. We are Awakeners; we are treated as honored guests wherever we go. The fact that we're willing to stay here is remarkable enough, and they still want us to work, ha!"
"But according to the notice, if we don't become permanent members of the Sanctuary, we won't get as much food, and even our housing will be allocated to those who join. Are they planning to kick us out of this villa?"
Under the flickering firelight,
A few people looked gloomy.
They naturally believed that everything belonged to them.
Anyone who tried to take their things was an enemy!
Seeing the shared anger of those before him, Ding Qiang couldn't help but smile.
These people were Awakeners, aligned with him all along. He had previously worried some might be undecided, but it seemed they were all quite dissatisfied with the Sanctuary.
His confidence rose from fifty percent to seventy percent.
"So everyone, if we don't want to lose what we have now, we need to negotiate some terms with the Sanctuary."
"Negotiate? How? No matter what, it's still the Sanctuary..."
"Sanctuary? No, it's just a small organization with a few Awakeners."
If it were a true Sanctuary, even a small one, it would be beyond their challenge. Initially, they were intimidated by the Sanctuary's name.
Soon, someone thought carefully and realized Ding Qiang was right. This so-called Sanctuary was undeserving of its name, with only a handful of people in management. Even if they were all Awakeners, so what? They were Awakeners too, and when it came to numbers, they might not be fewer!
"Ding is right, just a few Awakeners; we are Awakeners as well. No matter which organization we join, we are warmly welcomed. This lousy organization wants us to transport things, that's one thing, but now it even wants to take our share of the food. Well, they'd have to deal with my knife first, which has killed Demonized Beasts!"
This statement immediately aroused the envy of others.
Not all Awakeners had killed Demonized Beasts. Most Awakeners, even before the apocalypse, were ordinary people, many of whom hadn't even killed a chicken. Fighting Demonized Beasts? That was a joke!
Indeed, killing Demonized Beasts could absorb soul power, thus strengthening oneself; this was no secret. However, reality was not a game; each person only had one life. It wasn't a simple matter of leveling up by fighting monsters; every move was a gamble with one's life.
Win, and one would soar to the skies from then on.
Lose, and one would turn into a pile of bones.
More Awakeners chose to flee. Demonized Beasts were too terrifying. With their physiques, they could run faster than ordinary people and had a better chance of surviving. With that in mind, why risk life and limb fighting Demonized Beasts?
Just to become stronger? That was too intangible!
In the past, they had understood that hard work and study would lead to advancement, but how many actually did it!
Among those present were a few Awakeners who lacked the courage. Suddenly, seeing that one of their companions had killed a Demonized Beast was extraordinary. With such a teammate, why fear those few Awakeners from the Sanctuary?
This was indeed a Man who had killed Demonized Beasts!
"That's right, we are qualified to negotiate with the Sanctuary! If the Sanctuary gives us enough status and resources, fine. But if it doesn't, don't blame us for being rude!"
"Well said, this Sanctuary is annoying. Coming up with that nonsense of not even allowing us to touch the ordinary survivors. I've held back for days. Don't blame me if I'm not polite. Today, I must thrive!"
But there was still a calmer Awakener who spoke, "We can't be careless. After all, those who dared to establish a Sanctuary here are probably also Awakeners who have killed Demonized Beasts. We should be a bit cautious."
Seeing the moment was right, Ding Qiang spoke again, "Exactly, we can't let our guard down, but there's no need to overestimate the other side. I have already investigated the combat power of the Sanctuary. Please take a look."
He threw out three cards with the names of three individuals.
"These three are the ones we need to pay special attention to."
Ding Qiang picked up the card with Chen Haiping's name, "This person, I'm sure you've seen him often. You're all Awakeners and can sense auras. You naturally know this person's aura intensity, right?"
"Indeed," someone said gravely, "Chen Haiping's aura intensity is high. Frankly, none of us could match him. He is likely the top expert in the Sanctuary."
"Chen Haiping's aura has the highest intensity among the Awakeners in the Sanctuary, but the other two shouldn't be underestimated."
He picked up the card with Captain Luo's name, "Captain Luo, real name unknown. This person's aura isn't as strong as Chen Haiping's, but his presence is terrifying. You understand presence, right? The difference between those who have killed and those who haven't is vast. Captain Luo is probably ruthless, and since he dares to search for supplies, his strength shouldn't be underestimated."
"Lastly, there's the mysterious Director Tang. I've only seen him from a distance. He looks ordinary, without the presence of a strong person, but we can't be careless. I suspect that those Puppets at the Sanctuary are Director Tang's doing."
"An ability user?" someone softly said.
Many people had similar suspicions in their hearts.
Suddenly, the scene fell silent.
The meaning of an ability user might not be understood by some, but those present believed they understood.
In battle, if one could only fight straightforwardly while the other had mysterious and powerful abilities, the outcome was obvious. In the apocalypse, if Awakeners were masters in the eyes of ordinary people, then ability users were masters in the eyes of Awakeners!
Masters favored by the heavens!
"If Director Tang is an ability user, what should we do? Those Puppets seem troublesome, and if there are many of them, it'll be difficult."
Ding Qiang chuckled softly, his smile exuding an effortless sense of control.
"Indeed, ability users are hard to deal with, but we aren't without an ability user ourselves."
Everyone exchanged looks, confused.
If they had an ability user, why would they need to sit here discussing secretive matters?
"We indeed don't have any ability users among us, but today, a person named Peng Bo arrived at the Sanctuary. That person is an ability user. As to whether he would assist us, you'll understand once you've met Peng Bo..."
Ding Qiang's tone was certain, "He is one of us."
Time rewound to the afternoon.
Peng Bo swaggered down the street, with every survivor he met avoiding him from a distance.
He felt quite helpless; it was just a scar on his head that made him look fierce. Did it warrant this reaction? Did trust between people no longer exist?
For survivors living in the apocalypse, trust between people certainly didn't exist. Especially for someone like Peng Bo, who appeared vicious. It was said that some people purposely got tattoos and scars to look fiercer. This slightly chubby person was probably one of those, an Awakener no less, not someone to mess with.
Survivors had already heard of this and quickly lowered their heads, hastening away.