The following day, at the break of dawn, a faint golden light filtered through the clouds, casting a golden glow across the sky.
Tang Yu sat cross-legged on the bed, slowly opening his eyes.
The first half of the night was spent sleeping.
Inside and outside the castle were like two different worlds. Outside lay a mess, the air filled with the continuous stench of various corpses. Even though he had become accustomed to such a life, it was still unpleasant.
The inside of the castle was different.
The air was exceptionally fresh, more invigorating than that of a lush, dense forest. The temperature was also very suitable. It was midsummer outside, hot even at night, but inside the castle, it felt refreshingly cool, with a comfortable large bed. All these factors contributed to Tang Yu's excellent sleep quality. Added to the Awakener's formidable recovery power, only four or five hours of sleep sufficed to recover from a day's fatigue.
The second half of the night was spent in cultivation.
This involved refining soul power.
Normally, refining soul power was quick, but Tang Yu had absorbed a substantial amount throughout the day. He even inexplicably felt a false sense of being full from the intangible soul power. This caused him to spend a lot of time refining it all and converting it into his own strength.
"It already reached the strength of the First Layer Peak of the Awakening Tier. With just a sufficient amount of soul power, I could break through into the Second-tier of the Awakening Tier. At this speed, even those high-aptitude Awakeners couldn't compare."
This was to be expected. No matter how high others' aptitude, their strength progression relied on real battles, whereas he was like a cheat, accompanied by an Awakener equivalent to the Fifth Tier of the Awakening Tier, who didn't even compete for soul power. How could the speed of progress not be fast?
After breakfast,
Tang Yu changed into equipment recently produced by the workshop: a bright steel longsword and a black combat uniform with red stripes.
The combat uniform was made of leather armor, not the kind that half-covered, half-exposed, common in games. In reality, wearing such equipment wouldn't provide defensive power +++. If he wore those game-equipment pieces that barely covered strategic parts and faced Demonized Beasts, Tang Yu would have nothing to say but "ha-ha."
The combat uniform was exceptionally comfortable. He initially thought wearing it in the heat would be sweltering, but the workshop's high-tech proved otherwise. The combat uniform was lightweight and breathable, offering a smooth and natural feeling during movements.
Made from the hide of a scarlet Demonized Beast, the defense of the combat uniform was robust. Even a steel longsword would struggle to make a small cut on the uniform… this demonstrated the material difference, considering basic longswords were made from ordinary iron.
Tang Yu checked himself in a mirror inside the castle, very satisfied with this combat uniform.
"It just feels a bit flamboyant."
...
The survivors got up early, having savored the benefits. By working, they could trade for ample food, which made them very pleased. Among the food traded yesterday were two canned meats, causing many survivors to weep tears of joy, as they hadn't tasted meat in so long.
"It's Director Tang!"
Someone called out, then rubbed their eyes suddenly.
In the distance, the three familiar figures approached, with Tang Yu in front, followed by the armored expert, and the girl seen yesterday. Besides the armored expert, others almost didn't recognize Director Tang and the girl, who could emit ice crystals!
In the distance, Director Tang wore a black combat uniform with red stripes, a longsword at his waist, gleaming in the sunlight.
Behind him, the armored expert appeared as a loyal guard, carrying a long spear and following silently.
To his side, Eileen wore a similarly styled black Mage robe with red stripes, the hood hiding her face. The robe's breadth covered her small stature, and from the sleeve extended a delicate hand gripping a tapered, spiraled branch—that must be a Magic Wand!
The three approached slowly.
Surrounding them remained uncleaned Demonized Beast corpses, dried blood, and damaged buildings.
The high-hanging sun seemed to rise from behind them.
At that moment, the world seemed to lose its colors, leaving only the sight of three slowly advancing figures.
"Gulp."
Someone involuntarily swallowed saliva.
Such attire resembled cosplay characters at an anime convention, outlandish for the apocalypse, apparently inconvenient for action, yet seeing Director Tang's trio adorned this way, the crowd thought it remarkably harmonious, as if everything were meant to be.
Director Tang's trio resembled warriors returning in glory from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
...
Even amazed by such gear, the survivors acted appropriately, knowing what to ask and what not to. Soon, they dispersed to work.
Chen Haiping did not leave.
The work of a porter paid well, but Chen Haiping refused to idle away, waiting for death.
He became an Awakener relatively late, yet advanced diligently step by step. His strength steadily improved, ranking among the Awakeners in the Sanctuary. However, during the Demon Tide's attack, the Sanctuary fell, making him realize his weakness, powerless against true disasters.
After witnessing the powerful strength of Director Tang and others, Chen Haiping became more eager to grow stronger.
He aimed to hunt Demonized Beasts!
He also hoped to contribute to the Sanctuary's establishment!
He wished for the Sanctuary to be built, yet he knew a Sanctuary couldn't solely rely on a few experts. His strength might be limited, but as a combatant, he believed he could contribute more than merely carrying some stones.
Chen Haiping expressed these thoughts and awaited Director Tang's response.
Tang Yu fell into deep thought.
He initially hadn't planned so much, merely days ago struggling as a low-level survivor in this apocalypse for survival. The castle's establishment was initially for self-preservation, yet for a Territory to develop, detailed planning was ultimately needed. Having a system didn't mean he could just buy and build arbitrarily to create a complete Territory.
Chen Haiping's points made sense. The Territory Map provided warnings against Demonized Beasts, yet relying solely on No. 1, No. 2, and followers wasn't sustainable. Experts should serve as the Territory's trump card, not routine force, and Tang Yu desired followers to find time to enhance their strength.
Furthermore, Territory development necessitated survivor additions. As the number of survivors increased, both defense and management required trustworthy personnel.
The Territory should have a Patrol Team as a regular force.
Through observation over the past two days, Tang Yu gained some understanding of Chen Haiping. This man had served in the military, had decent marksmanship and combat skills, possessed some principles and conscience, yet was not rigid in action. Most importantly, on the Territory Map, Chen Haiping's dot was green, and that sufficed.
"I agree to your request. While the Sanctuary isn't complete and positions aren't fully assigned, continue patrolling and guarding against Demonized Beast attacks, improving your strength in the process. After all, with First Layer strength, you can only handle the most basic Demonized Beasts."
Chen Haiping forced a smile, unable to argue, listening to Director Tang continue, "Let me find an expert for you to learn some techniques against Demonized Beasts."
An expert?
He wondered. Was it the armored expert? If he could learn from the armored expert, undoubtedly, his strength would rapidly improve.
The next moment, he saw a towering figure approaching from afar.