Chapter 53 - 49: Joining & Cooperation

Chapter 53: Chapter 49: Joining & Cooperation

Macken was alone in the area, polishing a fully automatic rifle.

Ning He casually sat down right across from him and got straight to the point.

"You have something to discuss with me?"

Macken looked at the composed young woman before him, a hint of appreciation flashing through his cold gaze as he set the rifle aside.

"That’s right. Thanks to your help today, we were able to complete this mission smoothly. Aside from the things I promised you, I have a proposal. Would you be willing to become our special contracted chef?"

"Although you’re very generous," Ning He said, "I have no intention of leaving the academy cafeteria for the time being."

"Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with your main job. We only run these gourmet tours twice a month. You just need to draft the menu in advance, and we’ll prepare the ingredients. On the day of the tour, you just come along with us. As for compensation, it’ll be the same as Hansha’s—eight hundred original coins per trip. What do you think?"

Two trips meant sixteen hundred original coins, which was equivalent to an ordinary resident’s monthly salary.

Ning He grinned. "I can work with you, but aside from the money, I have one more condition. If you can agree to it, we have a deal."

"Speak," Macken said in a deep voice.

Ning He chuckled. "Well, it’s not easy to get out of the city. Staying inside the safe zone is secure, sure, but it lacks a bit of excitement. I’d like to be able to go for a ride and wander around a bit every time we come out. Ideally, to different places each time. Do you think you can arrange that?"

Macken was somewhat surprised.

The request wasn’t unreasonable. After all, they offered standalone exploration services, and the price wasn’t exactly exorbitant. It was just that going to a different location each time would inevitably increase the risk. However, for an experienced veteran like him, there were many measures to mitigate or even completely avoid these potential dangers.

"I can agree to that, but it’s restricted to low-risk zones," Macken said. "Once you cross the river up ahead, the danger in the forest skyrockets. Even my strongest subordinates wouldn’t be able to guarantee bringing you back in one piece every single time. If you can accept this, we have a deal."

Ning He thought about it for a few seconds before holding out her hand. "Deal!"

Partnering up with this young girl twice in one day was a bit unexpected for Macken. He gave a rare smile.

"Pleasure doing business with you. However, I must remind you of one thing: it’s best not to let the academy know about our arrangement, to avoid any unnecessary trouble."

This suited Ning He perfectly.

"Alright, I’ll keep it a secret."

With the plan settled, Ning He was in an excellent mood. She returned to the safe zone and saw Hansha processing the remaining game. After a moment of thought, she walked over.

"Looks like I’ll be working with you quite often from now on, Hansha," she said.

Hearing this, Hansha’s face immediately lit up with pleasant surprise. "You agreed? That’s wonderful! Let me tell you, our job here is the easiest, and we don’t have to worry about safety. We can earn quite a bit running two or three trips a month. It’s totally worth it."

Ning He nodded, pointing at the bird in his hands. "I remember the scanner showing that this bird’s toxin levels were severely over the limit. How do you process this kind of ingredient?"

Hansha was briefly stunned before he lowered his voice and sighed. "Usually, we soak them in saltwater for a few hours. It removes a bit of the toxin, but it doesn’t do much. For these high-risk ingredients, we process them and toss them into the freezer. If there’s a real emergency, they can serve as rations to tide us over for a few days."

Hearing this, Ning He breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they weren’t desperately suicidal enough to insist on eating it, it meant these people were still somewhat sane.

After helping Hansha pack up the ingredients and the dining cart, it was time for the return trip. All the guests had finished their activities and boarded the sightseeing bus.

The little girl and her parents had gone for a walk after their meal. She had picked a large handful of wildflowers and handed one to everyone on the bus.

The one she gave Ning He was especially large.

Although there wasn’t much verbal communication between them, everyone knew that today’s delicious feast was mostly thanks to this young woman. Even the man in the suit sitting at the very back glanced at her a few times, his eyes holding a trace of friendly appreciation.

Jia Mei showed Ning He her drawings. Upon learning that her favorite dishes were made by Ning He, she excitedly praised her for ten straight minutes. Even the red-haired young man nearby leaned over after overhearing their conversation, asking which restaurant Ning He usually worked at so he could go support her.

Remembering Macken’s warning, Ning He didn’t mention the academy cafeteria. She merely said she usually ran a food stall and had set up a group chat for her customers.

She had only intended to humor the two of them, but the red-haired young man was so loud that he caught the attention of the other passengers. In the end, everyone except the man in the suit joined her group chat. This left Ning He in an awkward spot where she couldn’t just brush it off—she would have to actually show up and run her food stall next time.

The cheerful and pleasant atmosphere inside the bus didn’t last long. As the distance to the city grew shorter, everyone gradually fell silent.

Even Ning He felt a surge of irritability at the thought of returning to that drab, dull, and uninteresting city.

At this moment, she fully understood why these people were willing to brave the dangers and spend a fortune just to leave the city limits. Only the vibrant world brimming with life outside the city could profoundly make a person feel truly alive.

As the convoy gradually drove out of the forest, inside a cave about ten kilometers away from their stop by the creek, a young man in a blue private’s uniform hurried out of a surveillance room.

"Reporting to the Lieutenant Colonel! The people from the Black Panther Company have left the observation zone."

"Understood. Cease surveillance, withdraw the trackers, and resume the mission to track the Shadow Beast."

The speaker was Leo. He flipped through the images transmitted back by the trackers and, with a quick glance, immediately spotted a certain someone’s figure.

Quietly putting the photos away without a change in expression, he turned to look at the solemn, gray-haired old woman beside him with a highly respectful attitude.

"According to your deductions, the next Beast King is highly likely to be this Shadow Beast?"

The old woman pushed her glasses up her nose, her voice a bit hoarse. "If there are no mistakes, it should be the one. Its life trajectory and growth rate both align with my previous theories and the models I’ve established. Right now, it’s familiarizing itself with its domain. Once it enters its fully mature phase, the next beast horde attack won’t be far off."

Leo’s heart sank.

"How much time do we have left?"

"No more than half a year."

"Understood. I will make preparations as soon as possible."

"Don’t be too hasty. Make foolproof plans before making a move. If you fail, the beast horde will arrive ahead of schedule."

"I understand."

Back inside Beiluo City, Ning He was entirely oblivious to the massive crisis looming over the city. At the moment, her attention was caught by another piece of news.

On the public bus heading to the Fourth Ring, a news broadcast was playing on loop.

"...The Cold Front is expected to last one to two months, during which Beiluo City will enter a mini-ice age. Maximum temperatures will not exceed zero degrees, with lows ranging between minus twenty and minus thirty degrees. Residents are advised to prepare for the cold. While the Cold Front lingers, underground shelters will remain continuously open, and residents in need may proceed there to escape the freezing wave. All compulsory education schools will transition to online classes. Specific details will be broadcast on the education channel..."

Listening to the news, Ning He looked down at her thin, single-layer clothing and couldn’t help but shiver.

Hearing that temperatures would drop to minus twenty or thirty degrees, she wondered if the city was turning on a quick-freeze mode. Judging by the news broadcast, it seemed people were still expected to go to work and attend school.

Fortunately, this Cold Front wasn’t as threatening as the previous heatwave. As long as adequate thermal measures were taken, there wouldn’t be any danger to life.

Therefore, the moment she stepped off the bus, Ning He clutched her newly earned money and sprinted straight for the clothing market.