Bai Qiu glanced at the map and noticed that Zone 2243 was only about twenty kilometers away from Zone 2244 in a straight line.
At his current pace, it would take him just fifteen minutes to get there.
He immediately replied, saying, “Alright, I’m on my way. I’ll arrive in fifteen minutes.”
“Uh… okay! When you get to the safe zone, head to the far left outside the Black Tower—there’s a big billboard there. I’ll be waiting for you,” Ning Xingxue responded.
Bai Qiu: “Got it.”
After that, he closed the chat channel, walked over to the Black Tower’s teleportation device, and selected the option to teleport to Zone 2244.
“Distance to Zone 2244: 32 kilometers. Spend 32 Sanctum Coins to teleport?”
“Yes.”
As a deep blue beam of light descended from above, Bai Qiu was instantly transported beneath the teleportation device of Zone 2244.
At the same time, 32 Sanctum Coins were automatically deducted from his inventory.
Meanwhile, in Zone 2243, Ning Xingxue looked at the chat window, curiosity rising in her heart.
Fifteen minutes? How exactly is Bai Qiu getting here?
When the Calamity began, the first things to fail were the city’s power grid and phone signals.
Surprisingly, things like tap water still worked, and vehicles could still be driven.
At first, the Dragonfang Soldiers were relatively weak.
As long as people stayed calm—or used open-top vehicles—they could still make it safely to the Safe Zones.
Ning Xingxue had done exactly that.
However, it was worth noting that modern weapons—like cars, crossbows, or firearms—did not yield any experience points or item drops when used to kill Dragonfang Soldiers.
But now, the monsters’ stats had increased more than threefold since the first day.
Ordinary vehicles could no longer withstand their attacks, meaning Bai Qiu couldn’t possibly be driving to a Safe Zone… at least, not by normal means.
Still, given his astonishing Level 16, he must have some special method, Ning Xingxue thought.
Ever since the Calamity’s descent, she had relied on her wealth to secure a good vehicle and ample supplies.
Acting swiftly, she became one of the first to arrive in Zone 2243’s Safe Zone.
She was among the earliest survivors there—most who arrived before her were locals.
But when it came to actually slaying monsters, she was the first to succeed.
More importantly, the drop rates in those early days were incredibly high.
With her decent physical strength and the protection of the Safe Zone barrier, she began farming monsters without taking a single hit.
Later, a regular Dragonfang Soldier dropped a full set of E-grade Dragonfang gear for her, boosting her to Level 5.
From that point on, she was practically invincible—no longer reliant on the barrier, she cut down monsters like grass and quickly became the strongest figure in Zone 2243.
However, despite her incredible drive and good fortune, she had only reached Level 13.
At this stage, leveling up through monster hunting had become nearly impossible, and her equipment advantage had been rendered meaningless since the appearance of the Magic Merchant in Zone 2233.
Adding to that, the recent rumors about a Silver-armored Archer spreading across the regions—and the sudden appearance of a Level 16 player in the channel—left her completely dumbfounded.
She once thought she belonged among the geniuses who worked the hardest, yet someone had already surpassed her by three full levels!
The Dragonfang Generals on the map had already been cleared out, but fortunately, her high reputation in the Zone kept others from stealing her elite monsters.
That allowed her to complete the first-stage mission, and aside from her level, all the second-stage objectives were done as well.
Unfortunately, fighting Level 11 Dragonfang Soldiers as a Level 13 player barely yielded any experience points.
And unlike those in Zone 2233, she couldn’t trade Dragonfangs with the Magic Merchant for better gear and resources…
“What a shame… if only the Magic Merchant appeared in Zone 2243,” Ning Xingxue muttered, before sending messages to the two people on her friends list.
Crossing one or two Zones was something Ning Xingxue could still handle, but crossing eleven of them—nearly three hundred kilometers—was another story.
She couldn’t be sure if a powerful field boss might suddenly appear along the way, and that alone was enough to make her hesitate.
Zone 2243 Safe Zone — aside from the central Sanctuary Black Tower, most of the surrounding buildings had been preserved.
The Black Tower stood in the middle of a massive intersection, with traffic lights and nearby structures cleared away to make room for it, but anything more than five meters beyond its base remained untouched.
Thanks to the presence of strong, high-profile players like Ning Xingxue, most of the players here were inspired by her example.
Among all the safe zones, this Zone was relatively advanced—there were three people like her in total:
One at Level 13 and two at Level 12, each leading their own group and maintaining order in the area.
As soon as Bai Qiu stepped into the teleportation circle, his Fivefold Arcane Crystallized Eyes took in every detail of the scene ahead.
People in various sets of gear moved between buildings, chatting and laughing.
Order and structure seemed to have been well established here; at least from the surface, everything appeared peaceful and organized.
“Phew…” Bai Qiu exhaled softly, steadying his breath.
His gaze soon locked onto the large billboard positioned to the far left of the Black Tower.
Activating his ocular skill, he scanned the area and spotted three people standing beneath it—two men and one woman.
The woman, the only one in armor, wore a silver Dragon Slayer set, missing only the helmet.
Her long hair was tied up in a high ponytail, arms crossed, her face calm and sharp—exuding a composed, heroic aura.
The two men beside her contrasted in build—one tall and thin, the other muscular.
The tall man held a can of beer, talking animatedly and occasionally taking a long gulp.
The muscular one wore a short-sleeved shirt, also crossing his arms, but his demeanor was relaxed, his face carrying a friendly smile—unlike the woman’s stern expression.
Through his ocular ability, Bai Qiu could see their levels from afar, confirming their strength.
He started walking toward them while sending a private message to Ning Xingxue:
Bai Qiu: “Under the billboard—two men, one woman. Two are Level 12, one’s Level 13, right?”
Ning Xingxue: “That’s right. Where are you?”
The woman beneath the billboard said something to the men, then began scanning the surroundings.
The two with her followed suit, glancing around in search of Bai Qiu.
Bai Qiu: “I just entered the safe zone. Give me a moment—I’ll be there soon.”
Seeing their increasingly puzzled expressions as they failed to spot him, he figured he should at least send a message to avoid spooking them into thinking they’d seen a ghost.
“He said he just entered the safe zone…” Ning Xingxue said after reading the message, her face turning serious.
The muscular man stayed silent, deep in thought, but the tall one frowned skeptically.
“That’s impossible, right? From the edge of the safe zone, you can see us standing here—and even tell what levels we are?”
“Hey! You there—Bai Qiu, was it? Stop hiding and come out already!” the tall man shouted loudly.
No one responded.
Frustrated, he crushed the beer can in his hand and threw it to the ground.
Because of the Zone’s structure, Zone 2243 had very few entry points; most of them were blocked off by buildings.
The road under the billboard was the only straight, open route—about 600 meters from the outer edge of the safe zone to their location.
Considering it was nighttime, their suspicion wasn’t unfounded.
Then—
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sharp sound of metal boots striking the pavement echoed through the air, drawing all three of their gazes.
From the distant darkness of the main road, a figure emerged—
A person clad in silver armor, their entire body wrapped tightly, even their face concealed behind a helmet—
Walking steadily toward them.
— The end of the Chapter–
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