The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 245

"That's Lu Bancheng from 'Blue Lake,' Boss Lu. Before the apocalypse, he was a real estate tycoon with many talented people under his command. He controls the largest clean water area in the northwest and several important resource points. He himself is also a Black Iron level expert and is very good at management and trading. The Blue Lake gathering area is considered to be the most abundant in resources among the five major areas."

Lu Bancheng seemed to notice the gaze, looked up, and gave Zheng Weiguo and Han Ning a well-timed smile, nodding in greeting.

"The burly man sitting next to Boss Lu, wearing a dark green combat uniform and with a scar on his neck, is another deputy leader of the 'Bluewood Gang,' nicknamed 'Hemlock.'"

Li Feng continued his introduction.

"This Hemlock is in charge of combat and defense. He has a straightforward temper and is a fairly upright person."

Hemlock was speaking in a low voice to someone next to him, his expression serious, nodding occasionally, the exposed skin on his arm having a rough texture similar to tree bark.

"There are a few others around the round table. Although they are not the leaders of the five major settlements, they are prominent figures in several large settlements in the surrounding area, and their strength has reached the Iron level."

Li Feng introduced the other people.

"For example, the leader of the Kunpeng gathering area that we just met outside, and that lady in red over there, she is the leader of 'Rose,' whose ability is fire control and whose personality is fiery."

Li Feng, as if reciting a familiar story, briefly introduced each of the important figures present, including their main spheres of influence, characteristics, and some publicly available information about their abilities.

Despite their silence during the previous conflict, they are all experts at the Iron level, and they simply do not want to get involved in the conflict between the two sides.

After the atmosphere eased, the conversation gradually grew louder.

"Old Lu, I heard that Blue Lake has recently opened up another trade route? That's impressive!" A voice rang out; it was Hemlock speaking.

"Not at all, just trying to make a living," Lu Bancheng replied with a smile.

"Sigh, don't even mention it. Last time, those water monkeys sneaked over and we suffered a lot of losses... This time, we have to team up and pull off something big."

As a fellow member of the Aoki Group, Hemlock began to try to ease the tension.

"Commander Lin, does your Qingmu Group still have any 'Qingmu Pills' in stock? Leave me some more for the next transaction, we can talk about trade supplies." Lu Bancheng was very helpful.

"Easy to say, easy to say..."

The conversations mainly revolved around resources, monster movements, and each other's current situations.

Just then, the door of the conference room was pushed open.

Several imposing and upright individuals walked in.

The leader was a middle-aged man with a resolute face, wearing a light blue shirt. He scanned the entire room, paused briefly on Zheng Weiguo, and then walked straight to his reserved spot.

"The navy has arrived," Li Feng said in a low voice.

Li Feng's voice rang in Han Ning's ear at just the right moment.

"This is Colonel Pang, who was the captain of the 550 destroyer. The number of naval forces stationed around Bailu City was far less than that of the army. However, unlike the army, the navy was not divided into large and small groups. They were always united. Colonel Pang played a crucial role in this."

"He is the nominal supreme commander of the Navy."

Han Ning's gaze fell on the middle-aged man known as Colonel Pang.

The other person wore a neatly pressed light blue shirt, walked with a steady gait, and like Zheng Weiguo and other soldiers, had very sharp eyes and an air of authority that commanded respect without anger.

However, despite being soldiers, Colonel Pang and Zheng Weiguo are quite different.

The former is of medium height and, while dignified, also exudes a refined, scholarly air; his imposing presence is not as heavy as that of Zheng Weiguo.

Beneath Zheng Weiguo's calm exterior lay a subtle, ruthless, and murderous aura.

Simply put, one has the temperament of a scholar-general, while the other leans towards a military general.

Colonel Pang was followed by several officers of similar distinguished bearing, each exuding a restrained aura.

Among this group of people, Colonel Pang simply nodded slightly to Lin Chen, who was in the main seat, and Zheng Weiguo, who was next to him, before walking to the side and sitting down. He did not make any extra expressions or say anything throughout the entire process.

As soon as he sat down, the corner that had been filled with whispers fell completely silent.

Many leaders of the settlements, including the previously arrogant Liang Tie, subconsciously lowered their guard when their eyes fell on the group of naval personnel, and some even unconsciously adjusted their posture.

Even in the apocalypse, this force, representing the remnants of a former nation's power, still retains a formidable deterrent force.

Just as the naval personnel settled down, another series of synchronized footsteps echoed from the doorway.

Five soldiers dressed in digital camouflage combat uniforms, whose aura was somewhat similar to that of the members of the Sword of Judgment, walked in.

The leader was a young man with a cold and stern face. He had a uniquely shaped military dagger at his waist, and the iron-blooded aura he exuded was even stronger than that of the captains of the Sword of Judgment.

"Major Zhou of the 232nd Regiment of the Army."

Li Feng continued his introduction in a low voice, his tone even more serious than before.

"The 232nd Regiment has experienced dramatic changes. The battalion where Major Zhou is stationed is the best-preserved military force in the 232nd Regiment. He is young and promising, with a very tough style, heavy firepower, and unfathomable strength."

Major Zhou came in.

Over time, more than a dozen army soldiers wearing similar camouflage uniforms entered the room.

The ranks range from lieutenant to major.

These dozen or so groups of army officers were clearly not from the same faction. Not only did they not walk together, but they also had tense expressions and did not communicate with each other.

"Because of its special geographical location, Bailu City was surrounded by three regiments. After crossing over, these three regiments underwent changes and split into more than ten armed forces of varying sizes."

Chapter 285 Meeting

Military personnel arrived one after another, and the empty seats in the conference room were gradually filled.

The main seat at the oval table and the area near it were basically filled with people from the five major gathering areas and key military representatives.

The back row was occupied by the entourages of each side and the leaders of the next-level forces.

Because of the Sword of Judgment, Han Ning and the others sat in positions behind Zheng Weiguo, similar to clerks.

Due to the large number of people, the meeting room was still packed even after it was expanded.

It can be described as having three layers inside and three layers outside.

The core layer consists of Black Iron grade, while the outer layer mostly consists of Large Black Stone grade.

There isn't a single Blackrock-class.

Because the conditions were rather basic, the only way to record was to place the record on one's lap.

Quiet conversations and occasional coughs filled the hall.

After several high-ranking military officials arrived, the atmosphere became a bit tense, and no one dared to speak loudly.

There were still two conspicuous empty seats next to the round table.

"The atomic fission team hasn't arrived yet?"

Han Ning noticed the empty seat and asked Li Feng beside him in a low voice.

With so many people from the gathering area arriving, only atomic fission remains.

As one of the five major nuclear fusion processes, atomic fission should rightfully be included here.

Li Feng shook his head slightly, indicating that he didn't know the reason either, and whispered:

“Atomic fission is quite special. Their people have always acted in this way, appearing and disappearing like a dragon.”

"However, since Commander Lin has extended an invitation, they should come; it's just a matter of time."

He paused, then continued explaining.

"The members of Atomic Fission are mostly composed of core researchers from the Egret University Research Institute and several surrounding national-level research institutes, covering multiple key fields such as biology, energy, materials, and physics."

Upon hearing this, Han Ning couldn't help but feel puzzled:

“The various research institutes are scattered in different places. How were they able to gather the vast majority of researchers so accurately and quickly after surviving such a sudden disaster? Their organizational efficiency is too high.”

A meaningful look appeared on Li Feng's face: "This brings us to the current director of the Institute of Atomic Fission, Gao..."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the conference room door.

The door was pushed open.

Everyone's attention was instantly drawn over.

Three people dressed in matching gray robes walked in.

The robes were peculiar in style, unlike modern clothing; they resembled the robes of a mage from a novel, completely covering their bodies from head to toe, even their hands were hidden in the wide sleeves, and their faces were covered with masks of the same color, revealing only their eyes.

This outfit stood out starkly among the modernly dressed people in the room.

The leader was slightly tall and walked with a steady gait. Although his robes concealed his figure, he exuded an air of elegance as he walked.

Her eyes were calm and deep, as if she had everything under control.

After the gray-robed man appeared, several top leaders around the round table, including Zheng Weiguo, Colonel Pang, and Lin Chen, all nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Even Liang Tie, who was always arrogant, restrained the gloom on his face.

Lu Bancheng took the initiative to speak, his tone polite: "Director Gao, we've been waiting for you."

"Director Gao." As the host, Lin Chen stood up and greeted him warmly.

The woman in the gray robe, referred to as Director Gao, nodded slightly in response, her voice coming through her mask:

"I encountered a small problem on the way and was delayed. Sorry."

Her voice is very mature.

Han Ning estimated that this Director Gao must be quite old.

Director Gao didn't exchange many pleasantries with the other leaders. She went straight to the empty seat reserved for atomic fission and sat down, while the other two gray-robed men stood quietly behind her.

When the person from the atomic fission team arrived, the meeting room door was gently closed, signifying that most of the expected attendees had arrived.

Taking advantage of the moment when Lin Chen was preparing his opening remarks, Li Feng quickly added what he hadn't finished saying to Han Ning:

"...The ability to quickly integrate the scattered scientific research elites after that catastrophic time travel was mainly due to the efforts of Director Gao."

"It is said that before she traveled through time, she was leading an interdisciplinary national-level project, and the researchers at her institute were already very capable."

"When the crossing occurred, they used some kind of emergency communication method unknown to us to locate most of the key personnel in a very short time."

"Therefore, atomic fission was not so much formed after time travel, but rather a top-notch scientific research team that had already taken shape and transformed into a survival organization in the face of disaster."

These words explained Han Ning's doubts and gave him a deeper impression of Director Gao and atomic fission.

At this moment, Lin Chen cleared his throat and stood in front of the main seat.

The conference room, which had been making some slight noises, fell completely silent.