129: Time Gathering Place

On the streets of Stone City, Gu Qinghan looked at the obviously cleared road conditions and couldn't help but sigh.

Having been to so many places, this was the most orderly one.

Luo Mu and the others did not come with Gu Qinghan; they were temporarily left in An City.

Over eighty percent of the people in An City had moved away due to the previous poisonous mist, and those who remained were mostly people from the fringe areas.

At this moment, countless supplies were still buried in An City, waiting for people to search for them.

Since Luo Mu wanted to establish a force, he would definitely need a large amount of supplies, so this was a good opportunity to collect them en masse.

Gu Qinghan, on the other hand, went to Stone City alone, wanting to first probe the depths of that Squinty-eyed Man.

Along the way, he encountered many people fleeing to Stone City, which also served as a cover for him.

Most importantly, Gu Qinghan's appearance had changed significantly from before.

This was a new piece of equipment he obtained from the Poison Spider Empress, a silver-grade item called the empress veil.

This equipment had no combat power bonus, only one effect: to change one's own image.

This change could alter clothing and the appearance of other equipment, and even the perceived height, weight, and build could be changed.

Combined with the effect of the breath concealing cloak, Gu Qinghan, standing in a crowd, looked like a complete refugee and would not attract any attention.

"Is Stone City so much larger than An City? As expected of a former international metropolis."

Gu Qinghan was covered in dust at this time, looking around with the scattered refugee Professionals, but he was gathering useful information for himself.

Stone City did not have just one force, but the largest one was still the force established by that Squinty-eyed Man.

Moreover, according to the information Gu Qinghan had so far, Stone City also had a Gathering Place established by military personnel, but most of those it attracted were the old, weak, sick, and disabled.

After all, at such a time, capable Professionals did not want to be overly restricted; it was better to join a force and live a free life.

"Only recruiting Professionals above Level 10! The greater the ability, the better the treatment!

Join our Time Settlement and strive for the life you desire!"

Suddenly, a shout made Gu Qinghan's gaze pause.

He walked around a long-destroyed restaurant and saw a group of Professionals wearing identical equipment loudly promoting to the surroundings.

Around them, quite a few fleeing Professionals were inquiring about the situation.

Gu Qinghan hesitated for a moment and walked over; a woman in her thirties saw him and actively approached:

"Handsome, are you also from An City?

Are you Level 10? If so, I suggest you join our Time Settlement; the treatment is much better than other Gathering Places."

Gu Qinghan's current appearance was that of a robust man in his twenties, which made the woman look at him a few more times.

He hesitated for a moment and asked curiously:

"Time Settlement? Why such a strange name?"

The woman smiled, reached out and placed her hand on Gu Qinghan's shoulder, and her smile deepened after feeling his strong muscles:

"You're not the first to ask that; many newcomers ask.

Actually, the main reason for this name is that our leader's profession is related to time.

It is said that he seems to have completed his second professional trial and is an absolutely powerful overlord in Stone City."

Gu Qinghan nodded, naturally slipped away from the woman's hand, and pretended to be in thought while inquiring about the detailed information of the Gathering Place.

And the woman seemed to be very fond of Gu Qinghan, constantly introducing him to some of the benefits in the Time Settlement.

A few minutes later, Gu Qinghan seemed to consider it carefully, then said to the woman:

"Okay! I've decided to join the Time Settlement."

"Alright, you're the only one who asks for such details; others join directly upon hearing that we are the largest local force."

The woman wanted to touch Gu Qinghan's firm physique under his clothes again but was subtly avoided by Gu Qinghan.

She smiled awkwardly and said to a young man next to her:

"Take him and the others back for registration, and arrange their accommodation in the units I manage, got it?"

"Got it, Sister Juan, you can rest assured with me."

A young man gave Sister Juan a look that all adults would understand, then led Gu Qinghan to a four-person team.

He smiled at these people who were about to join the Time Settlement, then whispered:

"Perform well once inside. That was Sister Juan; she's a squad leader in our Time Settlement.

If you get involved with Sister Juan, you'll get a lot more food and supplies. I don't need to say more about how to get involved, do I?"

His words made the five people, including Gu Qinghan, look a bit strange, but no one said anything.

During this period, such exchanges of physical intimacy for resources were actually not uncommon.

Not only women, but some men also let their 'little brother' endure more hardships to avoid some dangers themselves.

After a simple reminder, the man called two Professionals to escort these five people towards their destination.

Due to the turmoil in the neighboring An City, many Professionals fled to Stone City, which also made the originally stable situation in Stone City somewhat turbulent.

Each force wanted to absorb fresh blood to strengthen their power.

After all, with more Professionals, they could expand their forces more quickly and find more gates of calamity.

With the apocalypse, order collapsed, releasing the ambitions buried deep in some people's hearts.

Therefore, these Professionals were also a resource that could not be snatched away by other forces.

Gu Qinghan looked at the several Professionals around him, all of whom were men who looked somewhat attractive.

"It seems Sister Juan wants to cast a wide net."

He smiled inwardly but quickly began to consider his future plans.

This Time Settlement should be the force of that Squinty-eyed Man; he didn't directly ask about the leader's appearance earlier, fearing it would arouse suspicion.

However, this so-called Time Walker should also be a powerful profession, and there likely wouldn't be a second one in Stone City.

Once Gu Qinghan figured out the opponent's strength and general methods, it would be his time to act.

After about ten minutes of meandering, Gu Qinghan finally saw the so-called Time Settlement.

It looked like a high-end residential complex, and the surrounding environment had clearly been professionally cleaned, making it seem out of place with the outside world.

And at the entrance of the complex, there were Professionals patrolling who were clearly not weak in strength.

The young man who brought them back stepped forward, smiled, and said to the guard captain at the entrance:

"These are the new Professionals Sister Juan brought; she asked me to arrange their accommodation, preferably all in the units she manages."

The guard captain was a greasy middle-aged man; he glanced at the young man but did not directly let them pass.

After several seconds, he coughed, seemingly muttering to himself:

"Ah, everyone wants convenience, and it's hard for us in charge of registration..."

The young man's smile widened; he immediately leaned closer, pulled out half a pack of cheap cigarettes from his chest pocket, and slipped them into the guard captain's hand.

Then, he chuckled at the man:

"Look at you, Sister Juan understands your hard work; didn't she have me prepare this already?"

"What are you doing? I told you before, private bribery is unacceptable!"

The guard captain immediately glared at the young man but directly accepted the cigarettes, sternly reprimanding him:

"I won't report this matter, but be careful next time! I'm confiscating this illicit gain."

The young man was a little flustered, as he hadn't expected this scene.

However, the guard captain slowly moved aside and said to a guard behind him:

"Check them. If there are no problems, register them for accommodation.

By the way, the units Sister Juan is in charge of have few occupants; arrange for them to move in there."