"What?"
As the female merchant turned back, the gas spilled from the potion came alive and instantly seeped into her body.
The female merchant paused slightly, then knelt before Zhang Chen and said,
"Black Market Level Two Merchant Hu Xueyong, greets Master! What are your orders, Master!"
Zhang Chen nodded and said,
"I don't have anything special to assign you. When you get back, act as if nothing happened."
"Continue to do things as you normally do. When I need you, I will have Shirley contact you!"
Shirley nodded from the side.
Seeing that she had gained a companion, she was overjoyed.
Afterwards, Shirley and Hu Xueyong added each other as friends.
To prevent the black market people from becoming suspicious, Zhang Chen did not communicate further with Hu Xueyong and let her go immediately.
Watching Hu Xueyong's rapidly disappearing figure, Zhang Chen smiled slightly:
Heh, no matter what the purpose of the people behind the black market tracking me is.
You know where I am, and I am fully aware of your every move.
This can be considered a reciprocal gesture!
Zhang Chen looked at Mo Ran, who was hidden in his collar and sleeping soundly while hanging from a silk thread, and thought:
"There aren't many obedience potions left, I'll need your saliva to help grow the Ice Condensing Flower!"
Mo Ran seemed to sense something, rolled over, and continued to sleep soundly.
"The Black Market Manager actually took the initiative to give you fragments of the full technology blueprint, and also gave you an electronic map? That's too kind!"
"Should I communicate with Hu Xueyong tonight to see what the Black Market Manager is thinking, and if there's any conspiracy?!"
Shirley suggested from the side.
"Yes, you can communicate more with Hu Xueyong, but you must do so on the premise that her identity is not discovered. This person might be very useful to us in the future!"
Zhang Chen instructed.
After speaking, he opened the electronic mini-map.
This map could only be seen by him.
Xu Ruina leaned her back against the wall, her sharp claws gently rubbing.
A casual rub ignited sparks.
Between the fourth and seventh high-wall cities, there was a large lake and two continuous mountain ranges.
They had to take a detour to pass.
Zhang Chen studied the terrain.
Highways were mostly built on bridges.
Given the degree of weathering and corrosion of the structures in the outside world, this road would definitely not be easy.
A few large collapses would require detours, which was too troublesome.
So Zhang Chen set his sights on the national roads.
They had to pass through nine major cities, covering a total distance of 2350 kilometers.
If they traveled at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour, without eating, drinking, or resting, it would take nearly 20 hours!
"We have to hurry!"
Following a hidden passage marked on the electronic map, which could only accommodate two people abreast, the group arrived outside the high wall.
The main reason this hidden passage was so narrow was to prevent large mutated creatures from the outside from attacking the city through it.
Smaller mutated creatures were weak, and even if they broke in, they couldn't break through the city's safety doors.
Of course, World Destroyers were an exception.
For World Destroyers, the high walls were as good as nothing, and they didn't need such complicated hidden passages.
Er Pang transformed into its enlarged form.
Zhang Chen, Xu Ruina, Xiaobai, and Shirley all rode on it.
Its body was now large enough to accommodate four people with plenty of room.
Zhang Chen then took out two [Giant Armored Troop Carriers] (Chapter 311) and loaded 98 clones into them.
Thus, a colossal wolf, followed by two equally enormous beetles, set off.
The road was already covered in red vines, bearing barbed thorns, always ready to tear flesh from prey.
As soon as Er Pang appeared, the vines on the road immediately receded to both sides.
The insects scurrying along the roadside instantly burrowed underground and disappeared.
"This is the second phase of the apocalypse world... I've been living in high-wall cities for too long, surrounded by strong individuals. Now I can finally feel a trace of confidence!"
Shirley said with a smile, watching the fleeing insects.
"Indeed, with your strength, you are definitely among the top few in the world among this batch of Reincarnators!"
Zhang Chen said with a smile.
Before, when he advanced to Intermediate Metamorphosis, he was the world's number one. Later, when he advanced to Advanced Metamorphosis, he was still the undisputed world's number one.
Upgrading from the first stage of Advanced Metamorphosis to the second stage required [Super Aggregate Crystal Cores]. If not for the limitation of this item, Zhang Chen's level would have definitely advanced further.
They traveled in silence.
The zombies, mutated insects, and plants on the road, sensing Er Pang's oppressive aura, kept their distance.
After more than two hours, the group arrived at a city marked on the map.
The speed of travel was much slower than Zhang Chen had anticipated.
Indeed, a speed of 120 kilometers per hour required the road to be unobstructed.
However, in the post-apocalyptic world, the roads were filled with abandoned cars, collapsed buildings, and the huge roots of plants blocking the way.
Even without mutated creatures coming to their doom, the journey was still quite difficult.
"Something seems a bit strange!"
Zhang Chen checked the regional chat channel.
He found that it was eerily quiet, with no one speaking.
If there were survivor camps in this region, they would definitely communicate through the regional chat channel.
Even if there wasn't a unified camp, but rather a group of survivors fighting on their own, then at least the auction channel would have some items listed.
After all, individual supplies were limited, and they often needed to use excess supplies to exchange for scarce resources.
However, what was unusual was that there wasn't even a single auction item on the auction channel.
This scene was very similar to when Zhang Chen was blocking zombies in Jiangbei.
At that time, no one was speaking there, and the auction house was also empty. In fact... there were no living people in that area!
No one in this region?
Zhang Chen was a bit confused.
He listed a bottle of pure water on the auction channel, priced at 10 energy crystals.
Before Zhang Chen entered the high-wall city, the price of a bottle of water had already soared to 500 energy crystals per bottle.
Zhang Chen's asking price was practically giving it away.
If there were survivors in this region, they would definitely bid for the pure water.
However, no one bid until Zhang Chen left the region.
Zhang Chen had to take down the pure water and put it back in his ring.
There was indeed a problem!
Because he was in a hurry, Zhang Chen didn't have time to investigate where the people in this place had gone and continued south.
Three hours later, as the sun was about to set, the group arrived at the second city.
As soon as they entered the city, Zhang Chen felt a sense of desolation and emptiness.
There were no zombies or insects on the streets, only occasional traces of fights...
No one was speaking in the chat channel, and the auction channel remained silent regarding transactions.
Zhang Chen listed another bottle of pure water, but after more than ten minutes, no one bought it.
Two consecutive cities, both dead cities?
Were all the survivors killed by monsters?!
Zhang Chen found it somewhat unbelievable.
He hadn't encountered any formidable opponents on the way.
They were mostly low-level insects and infected individuals who didn't even dare to show themselves within Er Pang's instant kill range.
Could these creatures annihilate an entire city of survivors?
Moreover... even if there were powerful monsters that massacred the city, survivors, being intelligent, wouldn't they hide if they couldn't fight?
How could they be wiped out so easily?
Where had these survivors gone?!