“End the apocalypse? Don’t joke, I don’t have that ability!”
Zuo Nan spread his hands, and then took off the glove on his other hand.
Since his identity had been seen through, there was nothing left for him to hide.
“First, I want to express that I have no ill intentions towards any of you. I am just like everyone else, a survivor trying my best to stay alive.”
“I did wake up in the second walled city as a slave of the Soul organization…”
As Zuo Nan spoke, he uninvitedly moved a chair and sat down.
“What? Someone stronger than us is just a slave?”
“It makes sense. It’s the second stage of the apocalypse. As time goes by, our strength will surely become much, much greater than it is now!”
“Walled city? Is it that walled city in Tengxiang Country? It sounds so far away…”
“This person traveled such a long distance, there must be something important!”
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, discussing the matter.
Seeing that Zhang Chen had something to say, Zhao Longchuan quickly turned and winked at the people behind him.
The conference room instantly fell silent.
“No need for further ado, where are the complete technological blueprints?”
Zhang Chen got straight to the point.
“They were stolen!”
Zuo Nan spread his hands and said.
“It seems you’re not being honest!”
Zhang Chen took out Xiao Ruan from his pocket.
As soon as Xiao Ruan appeared, it floated in mid-air, its constantly coiling tentacles writhing slowly.
“What is that thing? An octopus?”
“A flying octopus?”
The crowd had never seen a Gromos before, nor were they aware of its terrifying power. Seeing its smooth skin and harmless appearance, they all gathered around to get a closer look.
“Gro… Gromos? You tamed a Gromos?”
Zuo Nan exclaimed in shock upon seeing this scene.
“I’ll give you three counts. If you don’t tell me the truth by the time I count to three, it will turn you into a statue!”
As soon as Zhang Chen finished speaking, Xiao Ruan, with its eyes closed, quickly flew in front of Zuo Nan.
Without giving the latter any time to react, it stuck itself directly onto his face.
Two tentacles forcibly pried open Zuo Nan’s eyelids.
At the same time, Xiao Ruan’s eyelids twitched, as if it could open its eyes at any moment.
“I’ll talk, I’ll talk! I did obtain the complete technological blueprints in the first city, but they were indeed stolen!”
“The ones who stole them were the previous cycle participants who ambushed near the camp, just like me!”
“I risked my life to escape and hid in the military base under the guise of seeking refuge.”
“My pursuers know that this camp has a large population and don’t know the strength of the experts here, so they dared not attack rashly. They were just patrolling nearby. However, with no major action from the camp over these past few days, they’ve likely realized that the number of strong individuals in the camp isn’t that large.”
“I fear they will attack at any moment!”
“To eavesdrop on the operational meeting, I deliberately swapped shifts with Old Wu to come here and clean.”
“If I had known a strong individual was coming… I wouldn’t have shown myself today…”
Zuo Nan said with regret.
“So, you’re the one who led the enemies ambushing us outside?”
Zhao Longchuan looked at Zuo Nan with fury, his eyes blazing.
Over three hundred people had died.
And he didn’t even know it was because of this cleaner!
“Actually, these people outside have no humanity. They will kill all survivors weaker than them.”
“So, even without me, they would have found you sooner or later!”
Zuo Nan explained, his gaze nervously fixed on Xiao Ruan’s eyelids, fearing it would open any second.
“Since the complete technological blueprints have fallen into their hands, why are they still pursuing you?”
Zhang Chen’s question hit the nail on the head.
“That’s because they thought I knew the location of the lighthouse, but I only had a map indicating the lighthouse’s location! That’s all!”
“This map was a route map for transporting materials when the lighthouse was being built. Who knows if the completed lighthouse will still be in the same place?!”
Zuo Nan pulled out a blueprint, placed it on the table, and then continued to declare earnestly:
“I swear I only know what I’ve told you. I’m not like those people from Sigman. I just want to become stronger through my own efforts and change my destiny. I haven’t killed anyone since I woke up, truly!”
It seemed Gromos was indeed the nightmare of this generation of cycle participants.
Just by sticking to Zuo Nan’s face, he was so terrified that he confessed everything.
“How many enemies are there? What is the strength of the strongest one?”
“Where is the camp located?”
Zhang Chen asked.
“I’m not very clear about that. I was captured almost as soon as I arrived in Tianyang City. The ones who captured me were a small team of six people.”
“The captain’s strength is at the first stage of advanced transformation!”
“Their camp is set up in the campus of Tianyang University, and there are far more than just one team. However, I was always imprisoned, so I really don’t know the exact number!”
Zuo Nan almost cried while saying this, as he saw Xiao Ruan’s eyelids seem to twitch.
“Tianyang University?”
Upon hearing this location, Zhang Chen couldn’t help but turn to look at Zhao Xiyue, who was also silently staring at him.
Their eyes met, and Zhao Xiyue quickly lowered her head.
Zhang Chen put the map into his ring, stood up, and patted Zuo Nan on the shoulder, saying:
“You will also come with me on this mission to find the locations of those cycle participants!”
Hearing Zhang Chen say this, Zhao Longchuan asked nervously:
“Zhang Chen, are you really going to bring this person along? What if he’s in league with those cycle participants and voluntarily exposes your whereabouts? Won’t you be in great danger?”
Zhang Chen smiled slightly and said:
“With me here, this guy can’t stir up much trouble. On the contrary, if you keep him in the military base…”
“You might have to deploy all your strong individuals to suppress him, which would be more trouble than it’s worth!”
“Besides… Xiyue is by my side. She will take good care of me!”
Zhao Xiyue nodded excitedly upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words.
“Sigh… Alright then…”
Zhao Longchuan sighed helplessly.
Zhao Xiyue, that silly girl, was usually so energetic and lively, but when it came to Zhang Chen, her intelligence dropped several levels instantly.
When Zhang Chen said for her to take care of him, it was merely a casual remark.
Zhang Chen’s strength had likely already reached a level beyond her imagination.
What help could Zhao Xiyue offer if there was something Zhang Chen couldn’t handle?
But it was good this way, letting her spend more time with Zhang Chen. Otherwise, if Zhang Chen left, she would be lost and distracted.
Zhao Longchuan knew his sister’s feelings, but he couldn’t fathom Zhang Chen’s thoughts.
Moreover, with Zhang Chen’s current status and strength, he was not someone her brother could afford to associate with, so he could only take things one step at a time.