Back to the present moment, Alex was still in the process of asking for directions to find Mia's house. It sounded easy, but in reality, it was quite challenging because everything was really chaotic right now.
Roads, overpasses, houses, and train stations were all reduced to piles of rubble. Asking for directions was now also difficult because it was hard to get a clear sense of direction.
"Oh, my god, where on earth is this place? Am I the one who's lost, or did they give me the wrong directions?"
In front of Alex now was a hill, not a road. He felt almost certain that he had taken the wrong path, or perhaps he really had to cross the hill to get there. He looked around, turning his head this way and that, but saw no one. He sighed and said:
"Sigh, well, there's no rush. After all, she'll still be alive over a thousand years later, so it's okay if I find her a little late. Right now, increasing my power is the priority, and since there are lots of trees on this hill, there's a high chance I might find some energy fruits."
Hope was just hope, though, because the probability of finding an energy fruit was very low. But since this was the beginning stage, God was a bit more generous, so it was still easier to find them now compared to later on.
Having made up his mind, he started heading straight up the hill. Along the way, trees and some structures had fallen over. Most of the vegetation was still standing, thanks to God's actions.
After another half-hour of fast running, he was starting to feel a bit tired. Although he was much stronger than before, he was still only at the level of a healthy person, not beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human.
Alex sat down randomly under a tree to rest for a while. He shook his head and said:
"It's really hard to find, huh? There are just too few of these energy fruits. Could it be that God intentionally made it so that each person can't see too many of them? But probably not. As far as I remember, each fruit is spaced quite far apart, making it hard for one person to gather many, unless they are high-ranking leaders. Right now, people don't know the value of these fruits, so it's easier to trade for or find them since no one's taking them, but this stage won't last long. I need to make the most of this time."
After sitting for a bit longer, he continued on his way, moving straight ahead in search. He kept going like this because he didn't know where to find the energy fruits, so he just had to search randomly.
After walking for a while, Alex reached the top of the hill. At this moment, his eyes no longer showed any signs of fatigue. Instead, he looked full of energy.
About twenty meters away from him, at a height of about nine meters, was an energy fruit.
"Ha ha, I've finally spotted one! Although it's a bit high, I know how to climb trees, so it's no problem."
To be precise, it was his future self that knew how to climb trees, not his present self.
Although this body had never done it before, the experience perfectly inherited from the future felt no different from personal experience.
Suddenly, there was a sound, a very faint sound, but it made Alex pause. It was the sound of something stepping on leaves, and that something was relatively large.
He relied on the direction of the sound to determine the position of the source. He thought to himself:
"I should probably act casual to avoid arousing suspicion from others. After all, this is still the early stage, so things aren't too bad yet."
With this in mind, he calmly walked towards the direction of the sound, and the other party was also approaching him. From a hidden corner, a flawlessly handsome young man with a carefree demeanor emerged.
Compared to the current Alex, this young man was like the difference between heaven and earth - simply not on the same level in terms of appearance.
The young man's physique also caught Alex's attention because it was very unusual.
His body was like that of a warrior who had undergone rigorous and systematic training for many years, rather than someone who just worked out at the gym.
However, to avoid revealing his interest in the energy fruit, Alex smiled and said:
"Ha ha, you gave me a start there. I thought there might still be wild beasts in the city. I'm Alex, pleased to meet you."
Alex genuinely intended to befriend this person. He sensed that this young man was someone special, a talented warrior.
Although it wasn't clear how strong he would become in the future, Alex was certain that if this young man developed well, he would be a formidable presence for hundreds of years.
As for the other energy fruit, if he is trustworthy enough, Alex will not hesitate to give it to him.
The young man also smiled as he saw Alex and said:
"My name is Spamati, nice to meet you. But..."
Spamati suddenly stopped speaking, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Alex, which startled him. Alex felt that this young man was extremely dangerous.
Before Alex could think of anything, Spamati continued,
"Why have you changed a bit in such a short time?"
Alex scratched his head and laughed harmlessly:
"Haha, what are you talking about, friend? I don't think I've been acting any differently. Maybe it's because you haven't known me for long, so you don't quite understand me yet."
But at that moment, Spamati tilted his head back and laughed. He laughed because the person in front of him underestimated his abilities so much.
"Hahahaha, it's true that you don't seem out of the ordinary, that's the strange part. Earlier, I heard some noise, clearly something was moving quickly. But as I got closer, it suddenly stopped in a very short amount of time. I'm sure that by then, I was close enough for you to hear my footsteps. You were planning to do something important but didn't want to be discovered, so you became cautious with my appearance, didn't you?"
On the outside, Alex maintained a calm demeanor and looked innocently puzzled, but inside, he was in turmoil.
"How is that possible? Just what kind of monster is this? The sound of running is louder than walking, so he must have heard me before I heard him. But this isn't something someone from this era should be able to do, especially a young man. Is he an agent? Or an assassin?"
"What are you talking about, friend? I just got tired, so I stopped coincidentally at that moment. I think you've watched too many movies and are overthinking things. What could an ordinary college student like me possibly do that's so secretive? I'm just a student who attends classes regularly and obeys the law." Alex laughed naturally as he spoke.
Spamati didn't respond and didn't even look at Alex. Instead, he was turning his head this way and that, surveying his surroundings.
Alex also felt very tense, trying to come up with a plan to deal with him. After a moment, Spamati looked at the person who was smiling so naturally and then smiled himself.