"Whew..."
Han Ning exhaled and asked,
"Boss Lin, is the southern entrance actually the safest among the three?"
If even the southern monsters were this strong, wouldn't exploring the two northern entrances result in more casualties?
Lin Qianqian shook her head:
"No, Vortex Shell Crabs usually only inhabit areas beyond 300 meters into the Mist Zone. I don't know why that one wandered to the outskirts."
"Moreover, Vortex Shell Crabs typically act alone—it's rare to see even two together. We've never encountered them during our explorations before."
"Perhaps something unusual happened deep in the Mist Zone."
She then remarked with admiration,
"Han Ning, your strength exceeds my expectations. Previously, we needed at least six people to deal with a Vortex Shell Crab, three of whom were vice-president level Awakened."
"I never imagined the three of us could take one down."
"I see." Han Ning nodded.
"Boss Lin, what's next on the agenda?"
"You still seem to have energy to spare. How about hunting some Crocodile Lizards nearby?" Lin Qianqian observed Han Ning's gradually steadying breath and smiled.
"Agreed."
With time to spare, they spent the next hours hunting over a dozen Crocodile Lizards in the southern area, utilizing Snowflake's species detection and Yu Na's scouting abilities until their Energy was nearly depleted before returning to the resort.
Since the Energy from the Crocodile Lizards was split three ways—and according to Lin Qianqian's theory, all three posed significant threat to ordinary Crocodile Lizards—the hunt yielded Han Ning the following gains:
[Druid Growth Progress +120] (Current Lv4, 227/600)
[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +36] (Current 71/200)
[Vine Manipulation (Advanced) Proficiency +20] (Current 38/500)
[Animal Companion Proficiency +25] (Current 105/200)
...
Back at the resort, the trio sat in the lounge replenishing their strength with food.
Han Ning devoured beef jerky slices washed down with milk in large gulps.
Yu Na clutched an extra-thick instant noodle block, crunching away with cheeks puffed like a chipmunk's.
In contrast, Lin Qianqian ate with refined elegance—delicately nibbling compressed biscuits between sips of milk as if enjoying afternoon tea at a café.
"Boss Lin, what are these crab claws good for?"
Having polished off his meal, Han Ning pulled the bagged white claws from his backpack for inspection.
Lin Qianqian paused her meal to explain:
"You could sell them to water-type Awakened."
"These claws seem to contain traces of water Energy. Combined with their unique structure, they can slightly enhance water-type abilities for those users."
"They can do that?" Han Ning tapped the forearm-sized claws, sounding surprised.
This is basically equivalent to a mage's staff.
Just a beggar's version.
He carefully placed the heavy pincers aside and turned his gaze to the bag of snow-white crab meat:
"What about this meat?"
Lin Qianqian replied:
"The meat of the Vortex Shell Crab contains traces of Black Tide Aura. Awakened can consume it in small amounts—it provides a strong sense of satiety."
"Ordinary people absolutely must not eat it. Their bodies can't withstand the erosion of Black Tide Aura. If ingested, the mildest consequences are mental confusion and uncontrollable malignant mutations in body tissues. In severe cases, they directly turn into mindless monsters. In the early days of our association, someone secretly fed a bit of low-level Mirage Insect meat to their family, and the result..."
She didn't continue, falling silent for a few seconds before speaking again.
"If you don't want to eat it, you can feed it to your pet."
If ordinary people couldn't handle it, then Xu Ming and Yinyin absolutely must not touch it.
"Hiss, hiss..."
As if to confirm her words, Snowflake let out a series of urgent hisses from its throat. Its yellow vertical pupils fixed on the bag of meat in Han Ning's hand, its tail lightly tapping the ground as its large head kept rubbing against Han Ning's leg, drool nearly dripping out.
Seeing Snowflake's eagerness, Han Ning couldn't help but chuckle.
He took out a few hefty chunks of snow-white crab meat and held them to Snowflake's mouth.
"Here, a reward for you. You did well today."
"Roar!" Snowflake let out a happy growl, opening its large maw to precisely snatch the crab meat.
The meat disappeared into its mouth at a visible rate, and a sense of satisfaction transmitted through the Soul Contract.
[Swamp Crocodile Lizard Growth Progress +3, Current: 74/200]
"The crab meat can even boost Snowflake's growth progress. Nice..."
Han Ning nodded inwardly.
After resting for a while and feeling his slowly recovering Spiritual Power, Han Ning didn't linger long at Azure Cloud Resort.
With Snowflake in tow, he activated the [Gills Technique] and submerged into the murky rainwater, swiftly swimming back toward the apartment building.
On the way home, Han Ning couldn't help but ponder.
Traveling several kilometers back and forth between the apartment and the resort every day was too troublesome.
Aside from Liu Feng's little group, hardly anyone remained in the apartment building he currently lived in.
There wasn't much reason to stay any longer.
"Time to move," Han Ning decided.
Azure Cloud Resort had a stable communication platform and a marketplace. Whether in terms of safety, information gathering, or future development, it was far better than an isolated apartment building surrounded by floodwaters.
With more people there, Xu Ming and Yinyin wouldn't have to spend their days staring blankly in empty rooms like they did now.
Xu Ming could also help gather information and build connections. In the future, they could even bring back live animals for him to raise—all feasible options.
Inside Apartment 803.
As usual, Han Ning walked to the planting area in the corner of the balcony.
First, he cast accelerated growth on the other crops.
Finally, his gaze landed on the two plants designated as key experimental subjects.
Han Ning channeled his Spiritual Power, his palm glowing with a verdant aura brimming with vitality.
The beam of light precisely enveloped the potato seedling on the left.
As the green light seeped in, the leaf veins grew clearer and more vibrant, the stems standing tall, exuding vigorous vitality—though no other anomalies appeared.
[Nature's Blessing (Beginner) Proficiency +1, Current: 31/200]
He turned to the tomato seedling on the right and continued releasing Nature's Blessing.
Green light flowed as the seedling's leaves greedily absorbed the energy, swaying slightly.
[Nature's Blessing (Beginner) Proficiency +1, Current: 32/200]
Everything seemed no different from before.
Han Ning sighed inwardly, preparing to cast another blessing on the potato seedling.
However, just as he gathered his Spiritual Power and glanced at the tomato seedling, his movements paused slightly.
On the seedling that had just received the blessing, a few seconds after the emerald glow completely faded, the edges of the older leaves near the roots quietly shimmered with an extremely faint yet strikingly vivid red halo.