Originally a hotel suite, it had a nice environment but had been converted into a five-star residence after the apocalypse.
Tang Yu still didn't know that Chen Haiping had already struck a deal for him. He was currently in the room, browsing through some information on the computer.
Eileen had gone out shopping early in the morning, Grey Blade went out to gather intelligence, and Tang Yu was fully embracing his homebody nature.
"No, no, still nothing..."
Ever since he checked in last night, he had been using the computer to search for information, mostly trying to find out about the Sanctuary where his parents were.
The network of Lindong Sanctuary was a local area network.
There weren't many online functions, mainly two.
The first was a data query system. A lot of pre-apocalypse data had been recorded in the system. Useful or not, Tang Yu copied it onto a USB drive.
A lot of this knowledge was the essence of human civilization. Even in the apocalypse, it might come in handy one day.
And some were useful right then and there, like firearms blueprints.
The blueprints were not precious; many could be found online before the apocalypse. However, having blueprints was one thing, but being able to manufacture the firearms was another.
Tang Yu wasn't worried about this. Through the science academy, he could spend a small amount of Source Crystals to transform these blueprints into workshop-compatible ones and then produce the firearms through the workshop. The science academy could also reverse-engineer actual firearms to create blueprints, but that would cost more Source Crystals.
He chose the more economical method.
The power of firearms was substantial, especially when the ammunition was changed to Armor-Piercing Bullets. The killing power against Demonized Beasts could be greatly increased. Even if it couldn't handle the more powerful Demonized Beasts, as transitional equipment, it was more than sufficient.
Tang Yu was using another function now, the War Forum.
It was a communication forum set up by Lindong officials, simple in interface but rich in information.
Tasks between survivors, particularly Awakeners, trading information, a lot was discussed there. Sometimes, the officials would announce important news as well.
As Tang Yu browsed through, despite the speed, the sheer volume and lack of organization made it messy to sift through.
[High-level Demonized Beasts spotted in the western suburbs of Lin City!]
[Strong Demonized Beast suspected, size larger than a big truck!]
[Buying Demonized Beast fur, as much as available, price negotiable.]
[To the east of Clear Creek Town, a patch of forest has been identified as High-level Timber. Seeking teams for cooperation to harvest the timber. My team is ranked eighty-seven at the mission center. If interested in cooperation, please contact us as soon as possible.]
[(Official) The science academy recently announced that they have achieved phase results in the study of Demonized Beasts and extracted a certain Transcendent Power factor, potentially applicable in the Equipment domain.]
A dazzling array of posts appeared before his eyes, and even if it wasn't what he was looking for, it was indeed eye-opening.
This trip to Lindong was indeed necessary, and a large Sanctuary indeed had no comparison to a small one, whether in terms of personnel or heritage.
Strong Awakeners had the ability to traverse wastelands to reach Lindong, resulting in a multitude of strong individuals, which made the Awakeners of small Sanctuaries mostly inferior.
Had it not been for the Territory system, he would have preferred to establish a Mercenary Corps in Lindong.
Tang Yu scrolled through, page by page.
One post caught his eye.
[Overview of Neighboring Provinces and Cities]
The post was three days old.
The poster was not official but was a user with the ID All-Knowing10086... The number added suggested the ID "All-Knowing" might already be taken, and there could be a waiting list for those numbers.
This person was quite famous on the forum, and the post was a summary of messages from all sides.
Basically, every Earth Level city in the province had a large Sanctuary, and a few were combined for two cities.
Besides, the post also marked some medium and small Sanctaries.
Many more small Sanctuaries couldn't be accounted for, and some were so well-hidden that they only managed to survive the apocalypse riddled with Demonized Beasts because they stayed concealed.
Tang Yu's gaze landed on a point on the map.
Marked with "Green Shadow Small Sanctuary," parentheses, already annihilated.
The news was surprisingly accurate.
Tang Yu was also somewhat astonished; this demonstrated that the All-Knowing 10086 indeed possessed real talent.
He located the neighboring province on the map, where information on the area was much sparser, but fortunately, several large sanctuaries were marked.
"Found it, Luoxia Sanctuary!"
From the earliest days when communication was possible, his parents had mentioned the military building sanctuaries.
That was the Luoxia Sanctuary, located in the suburbs of Luoxia City.
There was a description in the post.
This sanctuary was very large, reportedly housing over two million survivors, constructed jointly by the military from three nearby districts.
Tang Yu felt significantly relieved.
If the military's strength at this sanctuary was stronger than Lindong's, its safety was likely guaranteed.
To this day, he had not heard of any large sanctuary being wiped out by demonized beasts.
Although he was reassured, Tang Yu's heart was still urgent—his parents' safety did not mean life was easy.
He knew all too well what life was like for ordinary survivors.
But he also understood that haste was futile.
With a thousand kilometers separating the two locations and countless dangers along the way, reaching the Luoxia Sanctuary would be extremely difficult.
Especially after encountering a demonized beast above the Awakening Tier in Maple Leaf Town.
He realized all the more the world's depths; to go to Lindong, he had to prepare many things, like a vehicle with both defense and speed.
Previously when coming to Lindong, the off-road vehicle was not very useful, sometimes requiring him to get out and push obstacles on the road.
Under those circumstances, traveling from his territory to the Luoxia Sanctuary, not knowing how many days and nights he would spend in the wilderness, added significantly to the danger.
After much thought, Tang Yu let out a sigh and downloaded the map.
This map contained a wealth of information, not only about sanctuaries but also marking some Abyssal Rifts.
Not many, but still very precious.
At the end, Tang Yu read the last line of the post.
[For more detailed information, please visit the All-Knowing Office at 25 East Garden Road, new clients receive a 20% discount.]
He noted the address and continued scanning the other content.
After dinner, Tang Yu, Eileen, and Grey Blade met at the predetermined location.
Li Xiuming was already waiting there, dressed in black with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask.
He hid behind a utility pole, looking exceedingly secretive.
Tang Yu, speechless, approached and gently tapped on his shoulder.
Li Xiuming nearly screamed, "F*ck, Tang, it's you. You're prepared, right? We're heading to the Black Market. We need to keep a low profile, conceal our faces well, and try not to attract attention..."
He rambled on, lifting his head to see Tang Yu and the two people following, presumably Tang's teammates.
All three were clad in black robes with hoods drawn and masks covering their faces; if not for hearing Tang Yu's voice, he would have absolutely failed to recognize them.
"...Wow, that's quite the comprehensive gear."
Tang Yu spread his hands, "It's what you asked for."
Led by Li Xiuming, the three of them twisted and turned until they finally arrived in front of a small house.
How Li Xiuming remembered the way, having never visited before, was impressive.
Tang Yu tried to recall the route they had just taken, his sense of direction failing immediately as his mind turned into a spiderweb of confusion.
...So, this Black Market is quite secretive then, probably.