Chapter 187 Zhao Yaqian's Determination
Su Han left the stronghold at the Mother Nest Ancient Tree, rode a Vine Giant Rat, and arrived at the Summer Garden Mall. Once he entered and got upstairs, in the sitting room, he saw the people from the South City camp.
There were six people sitting in the living room, Yan Meiyu on one side of the sofa, and to his surprise, Bai Qilan was also there.
Opposite the sofa, Guo Wutao, Zhao Yaqian, and Cheng Zhenyong sat, with tea placed in front of them.
But aside from those three, there was an old man with grizzled hair sitting next to Guo Wutao—none other than Bai Qiuwen.
Bai Qiuwen wore an old-style jacket, frayed at the sleeves, his figure thin. Compared to the last time they met, his face was more gaunt, and his hair had whitened considerably.
"Professor Bai, long time no see."
Su Han walked in. Guo Wutao and the others stood up to greet him, saying, "Long time no see."
Bai Qiuwen smiled faintly and nodded, "It has been some time."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
"Please, everyone, have a seat."
Su Han beckoned everyone to sit down and then took a seat in the middle. As soon as he sat down, Bai Qilan handed him a stack of documents.
Her slender fingers traced a line of text on the top document without leaving a mark. Su Han was momentarily startled, and then upon closer inspection, he recognized it was a description related to the strengthening potion research.
However, it was just a description, not the detailed data.
Thoughtfully, he wondered if this was the purpose of their visit.
"Director Guo, what's caused you to come personally this time? Normally, it's either Captain Zhao or Old Cheng who would suffice."
Su Han asked, putting down the documents, and smiled at Guo Wutao.
"This visit is necessary; the news from three days ago was a lifesaver for us, so I had to come personally."
Guo Wutao spoke with sincerity, not just offering pleasantries. Three days prior, while hunting monsters, Su Han had also instructed his people to report to the South City camp about monsters rampaging outside the city.
Particularly in Lisu County, there had already been the presence of both Third Order and even Fourth Order Monsters, although it was just a county.
But seeing a part could provide insights into the whole, one could imagine other areas were likely far more terrifying.
This warning was indeed significant.
"You're exaggerating; information exchange is part of our agreement, and it's only right for survivors to caution each other."
Their trading had always been ongoing, including crystal energy generators, production tools, and monster materials.
They contacted each other periodically to update some post-apocalyptic information, including monsters' information, distribution, and threat levels.
It was just that this time, Su Han's news was particularly important.
He smiled slightly and said, "However, Director Guo, your intent must be more than just expressing thanks, otherwise Elder Bai wouldn't have needed to come. Is this visit related to the research or to special monsters?"
Guo Wutao shook his head, "We are not feigning any other intent. We all unanimously agreed to come and express our thanks in person to Old Li and Old Yan. However, this visit does indeed include the intent to propose further trading. We've been under great pressure clearing the area around the industrial park recently, and progress is not looking optimistic."
Su Han looked curious and asked, "What's the situation on your side?"
"Most of the industrial park's factories have been taken, but monsters are abundant, especially in some remote factories near the street and residential buildings, and their strength is increasing under the push of the Psychic Tide. In a small hardware factory, there were two or three Second Order Intermediate monsters, which made clearing it very tough.
Not to mention, the Fallen are causing trouble—they're even tougher to handle," replied Guo Wutao with a wry smile, "Thankfully, we haven't encountered any Third Order Monsters, otherwise, we'd have to resort to desperate measures."
Guo Wutao sounded pitiable, but Su Han just smiled silently.
With so many factories captured, who knows how many dangerous items there are. Just the previous chemical bombs were enough; if they really fought desperately, significantly damaging a Third Order was possible.
Though it would also come at a cost, it was definitely not as dire as Guo portrayed.
Not every Third Order Monster is like Su Han's three Angel Envoys, brimming with skills.
"If we don't clear out the monsters, they'll just keep getting stronger; who knows if there are other dimensional rifts inside South City?"
He shifted the topic, alluding to something, "Aren't you researching strengthening potions? If successful, you should rapidly gain strength and reduce the pressure significantly."
Guo Wutao's eyes flickered, understanding clearly, "Research we have, but the progress hasn't been enough, and I wonder if Lord Su Han is willing to lend a hand."
As the words dropped, the central point was reached—this was the main purpose of the visit.
"Exchange of information?"
Su Han looked toward Guo Wutao but swiftly turned his gaze to Bai Qiuwen and asked, "Elder Bai, you don't mind?"
Bai Qiuwen shook his head, "What time is it now to still mind such things? I would rather benefit from collective wisdom. Although we may have more students and could be doing more detailed basic work, we might be lacking in pioneering ideas. If we could complete the data, the progress should be much quicker."
Even though Bai Qiuwen did not say it explicitly, Su Han understood his meaning.
Both camps had their strengths and weaknesses. Unquestionably, Bai Qiuwen had a more robust foundation, and even if both camps were new to studying post-apocalyptic creatures and strengthening potions, his solid academic background kept his progress steady.
However, South City was a step behind in the Spiritual Energy System, with only the material samples from the Double-headed Gray Inferior Demon at the Third Order to work with.
On Su Han's side, not only were the Angel Envoys at the Third Order, but he had also slain more than one Third Order Monster.
In terms of frontier development, Bai Qilan would undoubtedly derive more inspiration.