Zhiyuan and his friends made a puzzled face upon hearing the bizarre name, and then Marcus and Zhiyuan withdrew their hands from the handshake as Zhiyuan smiled.
"Well, you are a weird one, it's hard to believe you are an awakened"
Marcus looked at him puzzlingly and then remembered that Zhiyuan was the only one in the Huang clan's main family who didn't awaken any power.
'Don't tell me he is jealous'
Marcus realised he could also relate because he could remember how he felt when he witnessed how the awakened in his class fought an SS-grade beast hawk.
Although one wouldn't call Marcus' case that of an Awakened but he could still fight an S-Grade beast although while suffering casualties but if it was an ordinary person's case, it would be suicide.
'I hope this won't become a hassle'
But Marcus' excitement lit up immediately when his gaze fell on the beast cheetah gene core, he thought he could be able to sweet-talk Zhiyuan into trading with him.
"Well, I'm an Awakened but I got lucky to be able to kill an S-Grade beast cricket and get this gem" Marcus tried not to boast his ability and based it on luck.
Zhiyuan grinned, his face alight with smug satisfaction. "So, in short, you're a half-assed Awakened?"
One of Zhiyuan's friends on his left side chuckled, his face gleaming with amusement.
'Well, unlike you, who doesn't have any hint of power in you'
"Yeah, you could say that"
Marcus grinned back sheepishly.
"So, are you part of the Awakened league or in an independent association"
Zhiyuan tone was laced with contempt when he said awakened league as if he had a grudge against them.
Well, Marcus knew it was understandable.
The Awakened League, created by the government, and the independent association, formed by powerful and popular clans, had been in a feud ever since the government demanded they pay taxes for every expedition they undertook but the latter vehemently refused because they felt they were risking their life exploring and raiding areas.
Marcus didn't want to do what would make a member of a powerful clan like the Huang clan target him, so he would have to lie.
He figured if he admitted to raiding areas alone, he would be in serious trouble because it's illegal.
One must either join the Awakened League or an independent association.
And If Marcus claimed to be in the Huang Clan Awakened Association and Zhiyuan checked the member list, that would be disastrous.
They were all glaring at Marcus for an answer as if finding what they could use to fixate on him.
"Wu Clan Awakened Association"
Marcus was racking his brain to remember the names of powerful clans that create independent associations and weren't in a feud with the Huang clan, but their burning gaze was too much that he became nervous, so he had to mutter an impromptu name that came across his mind.
"What?!"
The guy on Zhiyuan's right was the first to yell, Marcus' heart jumped immediately
'Have I blown it?'
His head rang.
But Zhiyuan kept grinning and it was confusing, the clans were always brawling with each other trying to claim who was more powerful.
'If things go south, I will run away'
Marcus planned his next move.
Zhiyuan then did something that made Marcus surprise, he placed his arm around Marcus' shoulder and said:
"Friend, can we make a deal, I want to trade one of my gem necklaces with that gem you hold" Zhiyuan gazed greedily at the gene core in Marcus' hand.
Marcus' heart leaped for joy, he never saw this coming, he would definitely trade his own with that beast cheetah gene core.
Marcus knew his plan would fail, his plan of selling gene core and going to the hospital to pay part of the bills
But if he could gain godspeed, Marcus reasoned that he would accumulate gene core quickly given that in a numbered area of mutant beasts' colony, there could be at least thirty mutant beasts there.
So even though he wouldn't be able to clear the area by defeating the area boss, he could still defeat a few others and gain gene cores which he would then sell
Also with the fact that Marcus would be able to escape given the godspeed because only a few Awakened were able to escape anytime, they raid one of the three uncleared areas in Haicheng.
Zhiyuan then pointed to a corner. "Let's go talk there," he said, turning to Marcus for agreement. Marcus nodded eagerly.
"You've got the nerve to join the Wu Clan Awakened Association? You're in for it now," one of Zhiyuan's friends said as they surrounded Marcus in the corner.
Zhiyuan shot him a sharp look, but Marcus already understood the situation.
He tried to break through their circle and run, but one of them grabbed his shirt and punched him hard in the side.
GBOIN!!
"Ouch!"
"What the fuck!" he cried out.
Marcus had already manifested his exoskeleton armor just before he hit him, so his fist slammed into the metallic surface instead.
But Marcus knew he must have been nervous that he ended up manifesting it over his entire body.
The armor gleamed elegantly with a golden sheen. Marcus was amazed as well and looked down at himself in excitement.
'Cool!'
His brain screamed
"Whoa!"
"Armor body?!"
"You're mocking us?! You said it was just luck that you managed to defeat an S-Grade beast cricket but look at that high-quality armor!" Zhiyuan's eyes widened in surprise, and his voice was filled with jealousy as he pointed at Marcus.
His friends were just as stunned. The one who had hit Marcus was blowing on his bruised fist—it seemed he had hit the armor hard, but Marcus didn't feel a thing.
They were all stunned, but Marcus was the first to regain his composure.
He pushed past them and dashed away. Once Marcus was clear of the corner, he retracted his exoskeleton armor and ran as far as he could.
"Fuck! I ended up messing up!"
The last thing Marcus wanted was for a member of the Huang clan to be on his tail, but he was somehow relieved that he had given Zhiyuan a fake name, so he wouldn't be able to know his identity through any means, but Marcus knew he would have to avoid Zhiyuan from now on.