The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 159

"The boss's name is 'Lu Bancheng.' I heard he used to be a big real estate tycoon with a lot of capable people under him."

"He himself is definitely a Black Iron level expert. I've never seen how strong he is, but in the past, some people were too blind to cause trouble and were taken down by his men in one move."

"Such a powerful gathering area, why didn't you mention it earlier?" Vice President Zhao frowned.

"He's about 20 kilometers away from us. Because he's so far away, we don't have much contact with him, so he doesn't affect us at all," Jiang Lin whispered.

“Let’s continue.” Vice President Zhao nodded.

"To the southeast, near the naval base, is the largest cluster of its kind, the 'Aoki Group,'" he continued.

"They live off the mountains, controlling many of the collection points for mutated wood and herbs, and trading with many small gathering places. They are very well-informed."

"The captain's nickname is 'Aoki,' and he is also a Black Iron-class officer. His abilities seem to be related to plants, making him particularly difficult to deal with. They have a good relationship with the Navy."

"The southernmost and most powerful human settlement is known as 'White Shark'."

A hint of apprehension flashed in Jiang Lin's eyes.

“They are the only force besides the military that can hold their ground in the coastal areas. They have a lot of fuel, boats, and can operate in floodwaters.”

"The captain, Liang Tie, nicknamed 'Sea Dragon,' is extremely ferocious. He is also a Black Iron level expert and has a group of sailors under his command. They often go underwater to fight monsters for things, and their strength is formidable."

"The fourth one is very mysterious. The organization is called 'Atomic Fission'. I have never met any of them. I have only heard that it is a special organization that is a group of researchers from Egret University Research Institute and major national research institutes. Most people don't even know where they are."

Vice President Zhao frowned: "And there's one more? You just said five."

"The last one is the Sword of Judgment that I just mentioned, which is quite special."

"The leader's strength... is definitely top-tier among the Black Iron level, and there are even rumors that he has reached the threshold of the next level."

"In short... the leaders of the five major settlements must be at least at the Iron level. This is the standard recognized by all survivors for becoming the most powerful settlement."

"The five major clusters are not judged by population size, but by the number of experts and the highest strength of their leaders."

"Because only those with the strength of the Iron level can barely contend with the monsters in the water and possess a certain ability to withstand risks."

"Anything below the Iron level is just barely clinging to life," Jiang Lin said quickly, like popping beans.

"What about the Wanghu gathering area? The one you mentioned before that was controlled by 'Poisonous Scorpion'?" Vice President Zhao pressed for details.

"Wanghu... isn't even one of the top five; it's more like a first-tier group below the top five." Jiang Lin shook his head.

"Poison Scorpion is treacherous and has a motley crew. He expands by annexing small settlements and has a terrible reputation."

"The scorpion himself should have just entered the Black Iron level not long ago, or he might be stuck at the peak of the Great Black Stone? No one can say for sure, but compared to the previous four, his foundation is much weaker."

In the corner, Han Ning listened quietly.

The rocky terrain is only of medium level, and its leader is barely at the Great Black Rock level. However, the leaders of these five major gathering areas have all reached the Black Iron level, or even higher. Combined with the information Jiang Lin had previously revealed about the military split and the water ghouls, the water in this mountain range is much deeper and more dangerous than he had anticipated.

"Indeed, the heroes of the world should not be underestimated. I have had a fortuitous encounter, and others may also have all sorts of fortuitous encounters..."

Han Ning's expression turned serious.

Iron-level... that should correspond to around level 10. I didn't expect that besides the military, there were at least five other people with similar strength to him.

Last time, he used his raptor form to fly over the mountains and figure out the distribution of many gathering areas.

He also sensed several threatening auras, but he didn't know which of the gathering areas Jiang Lin had mentioned.

Moreover, he did not sense any danger in the vicinity of their cave settlement area.

"Of the five major clusters, which one is closest to us?" This time, Han Ning asked personally.

“You’re already close to the middle of the mountain range. The directions I mentioned before were all based on the rocky cluster area as the center.”

“Even the northernmost sword of judgment is located to your southwest, and we, the Rock, are also to your southwest.”

"If we're being honest, the Sword of Judgment is the closest to you. As for atomic fission, I'm not sure. In the southeast... Aoki, White Shark, and the naval base are the second closest. The others are all quite far away."

Jiang Lin answered.

"The Sword of Judgment..." Han Ning recalled his experience of flying over the area where the group of people from the Agricultural and Forestry University were gathered, and being spotted by a master below.

"Is that a military base or the base of the Sword of Judgment?" Han Ning wondered to himself.

"Which of the nearby settlements do you think poses the greatest threat to us?"

"Among the five major clusters, the Sword of Judgment and the Green Wood are undoubtedly the biggest threats to you. However, these two clusters do not invade other clusters. On the contrary, the White Shark will absorb the surrounding clusters to strengthen itself, so they are the biggest threat to you."

"Secondly, there's our Panshi and Wanghu cluster area..."

“After we went missing, they will definitely continue to send people to investigate. There are several Awakened with good reconnaissance abilities in Rock. If they explore further east, they should be able to find your place.”

Jiang Lin turned into a double agent, revealing everything about his gathering area.

After listening, Han Ning called Vice President Zhao over and gave him instructions.

"Old Zhao, let this guy go back and draw a map showing the division of power among the most recent factions."

Vice President Zhao nodded. "Okay, boss. So, what should we do with these two guys?"

“Once we’ve squeezed out all the value from him, we just kill him. He killed our people. There’s no point in keeping a traitor like him alive,” Han Ning replied.

"receive."

……

Having obtained the information he wanted, Han Ning instructed Vice President Zhao and the others to continue digging for more information before leaving the interrogation room.

"We're short of people."

In this small skirmish, Jiang Lin and his two buddies killed another ordinary person.

Now, only 58 people remain in their settlement.

Compared to other gathering areas, their population is extremely small.

"It's time to send some people to make contact with other settlements and recruit some talented Awakened or ordinary people."

Han Ning thought of the miserable state of the group of people at the Agricultural and Forestry University and believed that some people would be willing to come here.

"And the rock..."

A cold glint flashed in Han Ning's eyes.

Chapter 179 All Parties on High Alert

Two days later.

On the south side of the mountain range, there is an area close to the ridgeline.

The trees here are relatively sparse.

But in the sparse forests, there is a human settlement with at least a few dozen wooden buildings.

It's like the relatively dense patch of hair on a bald man's head, standing out starkly against the sparse trees around it.

The current leader of the Rock Gathering District is a burly man with a grotesque scar that extends from his right eye to his chin.

"Reporting to the boss, Jiang Lin and Liang Hongfa have been missing for more than two days. I investigated along Jiang Lin's route and found traces of a battle in a mountain gully in the northeast."

"It is almost certain that they either died or fled to other settlements, and the possibility of defection cannot be ruled out."

Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Blackie slammed his fist on the wooden table in front of him, smashing it to pieces, and roared, "Who laid a hand on our people?"

Jiang Lin and Liang Hongfa were both quite capable, and their disappearance immediately caught Hei Pi's attention.

This means their authority in the surrounding community has been challenged!

"Brother Hei, I think this matter must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise what will the awakened ones who joined our settlement think?"

Beside Blackie, a man wearing a black trench coat, with dyed yellow hair and a relatively short stature echoed.

"Investigate! Find out exactly who did this!" Blackie's voice was like thunder, shaking the entire house. "Was it Poison Scorpion, or Iron Tiger's gang?"

Soon, the quiet gathering area was filled with the sound of footsteps moving around.

The ground trembled slightly.

A dozen or so squads of Awakened Ones entered the vast mountains from various directions of the settlement and began searching the mountains.

Their goal was clear: to find the murderer.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain.

A day was spent by an Awakened Reconnaissance Team dispatched to the Rock Gathering Area.

In the northern part of the rock, there is a human settlement area near a mountain lake.

"Brother, my men just reported that two strong Awakened Ones have suddenly gone missing from the Rocky area. A few hours ago, Blackie sent an unknown number of Awakened Ones into the mountains to search for them."

An awakened being from the lake rushed over and reported in a low voice.

"Oh?" The leader of the Wanghu settlement, who was also the leader of the Poison Scorpion group, frowned. "The people of Panshi were ambushed? Could it have been Iron Tiger's men?"

This is a bald man with his hair completely shaved off, but with an unusually feminine face.

"I'm not sure, but what I can foresee is that our people may be affected," the subordinate replied.

After a moment of contemplation, the bald man ordered, "Call back the ordinary people who are working outside. We need to focus our attention on the fishman legacy now; other things can wait."

As he spoke, a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Let that bastard Blackie jump around for a while. Rock will be ours sooner or later."

Therefore, the Wanghu gathering area also dispatched several awakened individuals to begin recalling ordinary people and awakened individuals who were outside.

However, a twist of fate brought these two search teams from different races together deep in the forest.

After all, they weren't too far apart.

Both sides stared at each other warily, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

"What are you people from the Lakeview doing here?" a Rock Awakener asked coldly.

“We would like to ask you what you are doing here,” a sharp-eyed, Lake-Gazing Awakener wielding a spear retorted defiantly.

The standoff lasted for a few seconds, then the captain of the Rock Awakener suddenly roared:

"It was you people from Wanghu who killed our men!"

"What?" The awakened one at Wanghu was taken aback.

But the next second, he was met with a barrage of arrows that whistled sharply.