Chapter Twenty-Seven: Captain Zhang

A few hours later, Long Yu arrived at the gates of the Safe Zone, holding more than twenty crystal cores in his hand. Most of these crystal cores had come from creatures with a physical strength between forty and sixty, some were around seventy, and one core was taken from a mutated giant python with a physical strength of two hundred.

Long Yu planned to give that python’s core to the tiger in a few days, once it had recovered enough to continue absorbing more. Unfortunately, he still hadn’t come across a core that he himself could absorb, a fact that left him somewhat helpless.

The walls of the Safe Zone towered over ten meters high, imposing and grand, with the words “Liangzhou City Safe Zone” boldly inscribed on either side of the main gate. The pristine state of the walls made it clear they had been built within the past six months.

Machine guns, cannons, and even massive weapons with enormous barrels were mounted atop the walls, spaced about every mile. The area within three thousand meters of the Safe Zone had been completely cleared, leaving nothing obstructed from view.

All this was evidence of the tremendous effort the government had invested in constructing the Safe Zone—clearly, this had been long in the planning. Many soldiers were stationed by the city gate, maintaining a vigilant watch.

“There’s a mutant beast!” The people queuing to enter the Safe Zone grew wary at the sight of the tiger; some ran away, others raised their weapons to attack, and soldiers at the gates rushed over at the commotion.

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid!” Long Yu stepped out from behind the tiger. He had let the tiger walk ahead, and his own presence had gone unnoticed, which only added to the panic among the crowd.

Once the people saw someone was indeed leading the beast, they breathed a sigh of relief; those who had fled stopped, and those who had been ready to attack lowered their weapons.

A mutant beast with a handler—now that was reassuring. While they were still amazed that a powerful mutant tiger would obey a young man, as long as the beast wasn’t dangerous, they could accept it. Since the catastrophe, people had seen all manner of strange things and had become almost indifferent to the unusual.

“Hello, I’m the person in charge here, commander of the First Battalion. Are you new to this place?” The recent stir had attracted the battalion commander stationed at the gate.

“Hello, my name is Long Yu. I’ve come from elsewhere searching for my parents. This tiger is my companion—very well-behaved.” Long Yu introduced himself simply to the commander.

“If you managed to make your way here, you must be quite skilled! How about joining our military? We could help you find your family, and the army offers many other benefits as well…”

Upon learning that Long Yu had come from another place and had a tiger by his side, the commander immediately tried to recruit him. However, Long Yu declined without hesitation. As an ordinary citizen, he truly disliked trouble and didn’t want to be constrained by military discipline.

What surprised Long Yu was that even after he refused, the commander remained enthusiastic, personally escorting him to the registration office.

The Safe Zone enforced strict personnel control; everyone who entered was assigned a unique identification number. Because he was accompanied by the commander, the staff processed his registration in complete silence, tending to his affairs without a single word.

Of course, the commander had his reasons for helping.

First, he was simply bored. It wasn’t every day that someone new arrived at the Safe Zone, so curiosity got the better of him.

Second, Long Yu’s air of mystery. As a battalion commander, his own abilities were considerable—his physical strength at seventy or eighty—yet he couldn’t gauge Long Yu’s strength at all. The military had specialists stationed at the gate to assess the physical capabilities of everyone who entered, but even they couldn’t determine Long Yu’s power.

Such a mysterious man was not someone to alienate; perhaps, with time, he could be drawn into the military.

With these considerations, the commander eagerly introduced Long Yu to the Safe Zone.

Soon, Long Yu completed his registration, including filling out a section on his abilities.

For strength, Long Yu wrote: physical strength 250, no special abilities; for the tiger: physical strength 150, ice-type ability.

Upon seeing the tiger’s ability, the commander’s eyes brimmed with envy. Clearly, even within the Safe Zone, individuals with such talents were exceedingly rare.

“Long Yu, would you consider giving your tiger to the military?” the commander asked with anticipation.

“What are you planning?” Long Yu warily pulled the tiger closer. This is my companion, don’t even think about it.

Even as he spoke, Long Yu thought privately, This is my most precious equipment—no way I’m giving it away.

Seeing Long Yu’s guarded look, a flash of disappointment crossed the commander’s face, but he quickly recovered. He had only been testing the waters; it would have been strange if Long Yu agreed to part with his tiger.

The disappointment was fleeting, and a smile returned to the commander’s face. “I was only asking, Long Yu. Don’t take it the wrong way. I just saw how talented your tiger is and wanted to help nurture it. But with you as its master, I’m sure it will realize its potential even more.”

“Oh, I haven’t properly introduced myself yet. My name is Zhang Huaren, but you can just call me Old Zhang. Now that we know each other, I’ll have my men help you look for your parents.”

Hearing this, Long Yu relaxed, smiling as he replied, “Thank you, Brother Zhang.” As he spoke, Long Yu pulled out a crystal core with a physical strength of eighty and handed it to the commander.

“This is… Long Yu, I want you to know I’m doing this to help, not for any reward—I can’t accept this!” Zhang Huaren protested, though his delight and the way he quickly pocketed the core betrayed his true feelings.

It was hard to blame him. With his own strength around seventy or eighty, a core rated at eighty was perfect for him to absorb, possibly allowing him to reach a new level. He couldn’t help but secretly praise Long Yu for his thoughtfulness.

Seeing Zhang Huaren’s reaction, Long Yu smiled inwardly and said, “Brother Zhang, please don’t refuse. Otherwise, it would be like you’re not giving me face. Just treat it as a gift from a friend.”

Faced with Long Yu’s insistence, Zhang Huaren pretended to be reluctant but finally agreed, slipping the crystal core into his pocket at once.

“Long Yu, tell me about your family. I’ll send someone to help you look for them right away.”

“My father’s name is Long Jianbang, my mother is Yue Ruixia, and I have a younger sister named Luo Wanqing…” Long Yu briefly described his family situation to Zhang Huaren.

After listening, Zhang Huaren called over a company commander, explained the situation, and dispatched him to begin searching for Long Yu’s parents.

…