Following the person named Lu Xiaopeng, Li Tao still felt somewhat dazed.
This individual's strength was likely in the late stage of the First Layer of Awakening, and although not comparable to his, it would still be considered decent in any small sanctuary. At least the three teammates behind this person all had weaker auras.
Having such a person as a mere soldier was something Li Tao found hard to accept… Perhaps, this was just a bluff by the other party?
The way forward led to a villa district, a place Li Tao was familiar with. Along the way, he also saw other survivors, some transporting waste, some cleaning the roads, and others doing some construction work. None of this surprised him; Green Shadow Sanctuary had suffered serious damage, but equally, the survivors who had lived were excellent.
"We're almost there," said the person ahead.
Li Tao responded absentmindedly, knowing that past this roadway and a short climb up some steps, he would see the villa district. After all, he had been here a few times before…
Suddenly, he noticed his teammates beside him all gaping, staring ahead with stunned looks.
Curiosity stirred in Li Tao's heart, and he looked forward.
"A city wall! Why is there a city wall here? It definitely wasn't here before. How did the people of Green Shadow Sanctuary build this city wall so quickly?"
He saw the Awakener leading the way stop to wait for them and then pull out a cigarette from his pocket, swiftly lighting it up, "Done with the sightseeing? If we're done, let's keep going. It's just a city wall; why make such a fuss? Stay calm!"
Lu Xiaopeng waved his hand, exhaling rings of smoke.
Li Tao followed the leader through the city gate, and observing the city wall from a close distance gave him a more profound sense of awe. With such a wall, even the Demon Tide probably wouldn't be a concern.
He felt a surge of envy.
The number of survivors commuting in the villa district was slightly higher; each one was very busy. Li Tao also saw some patrolling personnel, each armed with firearms and clad in black combat suits.
He now believed that such equipment was indeed standard issue for the soldiers.
Soon, the guide pointed at a mansion. "Here we are."
The villa had been repaired and hardly showed any signs of damage; it now served as an office for daily operations.
After entering, Lu Xiaopeng saw Chen Haiping, who was calculating the work volumes of the survivors for the day. After greeting him, he called Li Tao and the others over, "Steward Chen, these people say they come from Creekwood Sanctuary…"
Li Tao had some recollection of Chen Haiping, having met him before at Green Shadow Sanctuary. He was relieved, feeling that Green Shadow Sanctuary had become too unfamiliar.
Yet, he paused in shock.
In his memory, Chen Haiping's strength was only mid to upper-tier in the sanctuary. Green Shadow and Creekwood Sanctuaries were roughly equal, and this level of strength would generally be in the First Layer Peak of Awakening, and with good luck, potentially breaking through to the Second-tier.
However, Chen Haiping's current aura was stronger than his own, reaching the peak of the Second-tier Awakening.
Could he really be that strong?
At that moment, Li Tao fell into a profound self-doubt, wondering "who am I," "where am I," and "why am I so weak."
After a pause, he took a deep breath, decided to set aside everything unscientific he had seen in Green Shadow Sanctuary, and focused on completing the task first. Even if he couldn't exchange for resources, he needed to exchange some information!
He stated his purpose for the visit.
"An exchange? That's possible."
He had fully entered the role of the chief steward of the sanctuary.
There was a time when he longed to be a warrior leading charges into battles. However, now, as an office worker, his strength increased even faster, which was consoling, perhaps.
Li Tao brought his backpack to the front and took out a greenish fruit that resembled an apple, "This is a Green Fruit, a new variety of fruit that appeared after the apocalypse. It can be used to stave off hunger, and the Green Fruit Tree has a high fruiting rate. If you master the method of finding this type of tree, it can greatly alleviate the food pressure on your sanctuary. How about it, as long as your price is high enough, we can sell you the method."
He quickly finished speaking and waited for Chen Haiping's response.
Ever since their sanctuary discovered that Green Fruits were non-toxic and could alleviate hunger, the food pressure was significantly relieved. He didn't believe that people from Green Shadow wouldn't be tempted. What worried him now was whether Green Shadow could offer enough after being struck by the Demon Tide.
However, the next moment, Chen Haiping, expressionless, just casually uttered, "Oh," and then, "What else?"
Just putting on a calm front!
Li Tao thought, and then brought out many supplies, including materials from Demonized Beasts, various daily necessities, and some medicines… Carrying so many scarce items from the apocalypse had gradually become an understanding between Creekwood and Green Shadow; typically they would trade their surplus supplies for needed ones.
For instance, a certain type of medicine was very scarce in the apocalypse. It just so happened that Creekwood had enough of it but lacked others, so they would bring it out to see what Green Shadow Sanctuary had worth exchanging, and likewise, Green Shadow sometimes sent teams to Creekwood.
However, these things…
Chen Haiping pondered for a moment, "Honestly, our sanctuary doesn't lack these items. We can purchase some of the medicines, but the rest aren't necessary."
Medicines and household items certainly couldn't be produced by the territory itself. Previously, they were somewhat scarce and sometimes found but not transportable. However, ever since the introduction of the Space Backpack, it had become much more convenient, and Luo Zhe, when out scavenging, could simply sweep them up and carry them away.
Both effortless and safe.
Li Tao was puzzled and somewhat unable to accept.
Chen Haiping then said, "Although we don't need your materials, you can take a look at what we have."
He then stood up and walked into another room.
Li Tao followed him closely.
He was curious to see what Green Shadow Sanctuary could offer.
Upon entering, he realized that the room was already filled with many people, including the Awakener who had led them there.
"Training Camp Levels 3 and 4 usage rights, one contribution point every two hours, Fatty Peng, I plan to go to the Training Camp tonight to have some fun. Are you coming?"
"Of course, I'm coming. This time I'll definitely last five minutes and leave you far behind!"
"I just wonder what's on the fifth level. They charge sixty contribution points for half a day, and the minimum charge is half a day. That's outrageous…"
Lu Xiaopeng was curious—every time Captain Luo wasn't training on levels 3 and 4 but instead went to level 5. It doesn't take much to guess that the training facilities there were extraordinary.