Chapter 223: River Sterling, Trading Area

Chapter 223: Chapter 223: River Sterling, Trading Area

Seeing Forrest Sterling’s shrewd yet enthusiastic smile, Seraphina Sullivan understood.

A Player with a purely support-based Talent like [Teleportation Dove].

Could never have grown safely to Level 2 all on his own.

In a perilous doomsday environment like this, support-type Players often needed to rely on stronger combat partners or a team.

Sure enough, when she shifted her gaze to the calmer and taller young man beside Forrest Sterling, the information fed back by the [Eye of Resume] confirmed her suspicions.

[Name: River Sterling]

[Gender: Male]

[Level: Level 2]

[Professional Skills and Talents · Light Manipulation: Can manipulate ambient light to a certain degree to create visual distortions or brief blinding effects. Can condense Light Energy in his hands to form attacks with burning and concussive properties.]

[Skills: Clone Technique]

[Weaknesses: Extremely protective of his family. Their safety is his greatest weakness and a potential point of exploit.]

’The two brothers are both Players... and a combat and support combo, at that.’

Seraphina Sullivan instantly understood how the brothers had managed to survive until now.

Such a complementary combination indeed offered a greater survival advantage in the doomsday world.

It also made Seraphina Sullivan lower her guard against the two of them, just a little.

People who cherished their family usually weren’t completely without principles.

When Forrest Sterling saw Sean Chandler approach, his smile grew even more enthusiastic, and he waved them over repeatedly.

His brother, River Sterling, looked a little exasperated beside him.

He was clearly accustomed to his younger brother’s overly extroverted social style.

But he also maintained a basic level of vigilance.

River Sterling had heard his brother mention before that the man in the RV was very likely a Player as well.

It was just that the man hadn’t responded to his brother’s offer to trade back then.

’If he’s really a Player, maybe we can trade some useful information about dungeons, or... form a temporary small group to face the upcoming challenges,’ River Sterling calculated internally.

Seraphina Sullivan and Sean Chandler walked up to the Sterling brothers.

Forrest Sterling immediately took the initiative to introduce himself, his tone warm. "I’m Forrest Sterling. I was in a rush earlier and didn’t get to introduce myself properly."

After speaking, he gestured to the side at his brother. "This is my older brother, River Sterling."

Seraphina Sullivan’s reply was concise. "Seraphina Sullivan."

Sean Chandler was even colder, just giving a slight nod. "Sean Chandler."

Forrest Sterling’s gaze fell on the safe zone regulations in Seraphina Sullivan’s hand.

He immediately found a way to start a conversation. "You saw the regulations too? They’ve specially set aside an area in the safe zone for Players to trade. I heard quite a few people have already gone to check it out. What do you say? Want to go have a look together? There’s safety in numbers."

"Forrest!"

River Sterling cut off his younger brother’s overly direct invitation, his tone tinged with reproach.

He turned to the more composed-looking Sean Chandler.

He spoke in a more formal tone. "My apologies, my younger brother is a bit hasty. The situation is as he said; my brother and I are both Players, and we’re quite curious about the suddenly established Player trading area. We want to go get the lay of the land."

He paused, his gaze sweeping between Sean Chandler and Seraphina Sullivan, then asked probingly, "Also, forgive my presumption, but Mr. Chandler, and you, Miss Sullivan, are you also...?"

He trailed off without saying the word "Player," but everyone present knew what he meant.

Seraphina Sullivan understood but didn’t say much; she was still hiding her identity as a Player.

However, Sean Chandler had already registered, so there was no reason for him to hide it.

Sean Chandler glanced at Seraphina Sullivan, and after getting her nod of approval, he admitted frankly, "I am."

"I knew it!"

An "I-knew-it" expression of excitement immediately appeared on Forrest Sterling’s face, and he looked like he was about to dance with joy.

"My intuition is always right! Since we’re all Players, it’s perfect! We can go to the Player trading area together! In a few days, the new mandatory dungeon will start. We have to prepare in advance and see if we can find any suitable items or exchange some intel for the next dungeon!"

He was getting carried away but didn’t forget about Seraphina Sullivan, who was standing to the side.

Forrest Sterling still didn’t know Seraphina Sullivan was a Player, so, afraid of leaving her out, he quickly turned his head and explained earnestly to her.

"Miss Sullivan, please don’t mind us. This Doomsday Game is full of danger. Every extra bit of preparation is an extra bit of hope for survival.

The Player trading area is a chaotic mix of people. If we go together, we can give each other courage and also help each other out with advice to avoid getting ripped off, right?"

Seraphina Sullivan nodded.

From their brief interaction, Seraphina Sullivan could tell that Forrest Sterling was an extremely considerate person.

"Alright. We just arrived and aren’t very familiar with the safe zone yet. This is a good opportunity to take a look."

The four of them formed a simple group and headed toward the trading area designated by the safe zone.

"We’re pretty lucky that Vorlag City built a safe zone."

Forrest Sterling was a chatterbox who couldn’t stay quiet, recounting their experiences as they walked.

"When we got in, the temperature outside had already dropped to nearly seventy degrees below zero. It was completely unlivable! Sigh, I heard that in places far from Vorlag City, a lot of people didn’t manage to make it in time. I wonder how they’re doing now..." His voice held a trace of barely perceptible pity.

Hearing this, Seraphina Sullivan also fell silent for a moment. "Yeah, the temperature is getting more and more abnormal, and the living conditions are just too harsh. If the authorities hadn’t established a safe zone in time, providing basic shelter and order, I really don’t know how many more people could have survived."

On this point, Seraphina Sullivan had to admit that the Vorlag City authorities had indeed done a good job.

At the very least, they had saved many people from freezing to death.

Meanwhile, River Sterling was much quieter.

Most of his attention was focused on Sean Chandler.

As they walked on, he felt with increasing clarity the composed aura and subtle pressure emanating from Sean Chandler.

This was not something an ordinary Player could possess, and it made River Sterling raise his assessment of Sean Chandler’s strength by another notch.

"We’re here!"

After about a ten-minute walk, the four of them arrived at the trading area.

As expected, the place was a hubbub of noise, just like a bustling market.

Large numbers of survivors were gathered here, either stopping to look at the makeshift stalls or haggling fiercely.

The noise was a cacophony, a mixture of various accents and emotions.

Although it was crowded and packed with people, the order was surprisingly good.

Seraphina Sullivan noticed that at various key positions and high vantage points around the trading area, dozens of heavily armed, solemn-faced soldiers were standing guard.

Their cold gazes swept across the entire area, invisibly deterring any thought of causing trouble.

Here, no one dared to lightly challenge the authorities’ force and determination to maintain order.

The items displayed at the stalls were incredibly varied, ranging from winter clothing and bedding, various tools and parts, and small quantities of medicine, to luxury goods, jewelry, collectibles, and more—a dazzling array.