The two, along with the wolf, continued through the bustling downtown area towards the television station.
Past the market, several blocks of survivor camps lay ahead.
Different camps occupied distinct residential areas or office buildings, marked by signs and guarded by sentries.
Members of powerful camps openly drank and ate by the roadside, unconcerned about any trouble.
Others practiced combat skills, their robust muscles evident.
Indeed, survivors who could traverse cities to reach this place during the apocalypse were no ordinary individuals.
The stronger one's power, the more they dared to face challenges, the more monsters they could slay, and thus, the stronger they became.
Conversely, those who feared combat, hesitated to fight, killed fewer monsters, and improved their strength slowly, thus becoming relatively weaker.
The latter, survivors who dared not venture out to level up, were essentially confined to their original locations.
As the apocalypse progressed, their living spaces could only shrink, until they were eventually eliminated by it.
A polarization of survivors was inevitable.
The strong, brave combatant survivors would possess abundant resources and absolute power.
The weak survivors, unable to secure enough food, would be enslaved and exploited, or even traded as commodities.
Slavery or being enslaved was likely to become the natural course of development for the world.
It bore a resemblance to ancient slave societies.
Moving further, after crossing two roads, they arrived in a new district.
Here, an octagonal logo, resembling an octagon, was visible everywhere on the ground and buildings.
Some were painted, while others were etched from stone or sharp metal.
"Dad, where are we going now?"
Xiaobai, wearing a mask, asked curiously.
"We're going to pay a visit to the city lord. I find the appearance of such a safe city too strange!"
There were many inexplicable mysteries surrounding it...
"However, the most important thing right now is to understand what exactly is blocking the path to the interface city."
"Regardless, reaching Tengxiang Kingdom, finding information about the natives, and locating Xu Ruina are the most crucial tasks. Everything else can wait for a bit!"
Zhang Chen said.
In truth, Xiaobai didn't understand much of it.
His words were more like Zhang Chen talking to himself.
"Good friend? We can find good friends?"
Xiaobai clapped his hands happily.
"Yes, it shouldn't be far now!"
Zhang Chen nodded.
They turned a corner, bypassing the television tower.
As they reached the main plaza in front of the library, they saw it was filled with people.
Some gathered in groups of a dozen, others in small clusters of three to five.
They were either resting or chatting.
Some were smoking.
Judging by the thoroughly burnt cigarette butts on the ground, even these camps, which were affluent enough to allow smoking, did not have overly abundant supplies and had to be thrifty.
Zhang Chen's appearance immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Which camp is he from?"
"Don't know, never seen him. Is he here for the combat meeting too?"
"He doesn't look like it. And who brings a pet and a little girl to a meeting?"
"You know, this meeting organized by the city lord is only for the leaders of the camps. It's too casual for him..."
"Tsk tsk, when the forest gets big, all sorts of birds appear. He might be from a small camp of a dozen people, just here to join the fun!"
"Ha, can a dozen people even be called a camp? What kind of strong individuals can they field? It's ridiculous!"
"Who knows? They're probably here to scam for supplies and equipment. Didn't they say everyone participating in the battle gets extra supply rewards!"
"Alright, stop talking. The apocalypse is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Speaking carelessly can lead to trouble. Let's let the reception staff check him. We'll know soon if this guy is qualified to attend the meeting!"
They chattered amongst themselves, their gazes towards Zhang Chen tinged with amusement.
"So the city lord is currently in a meeting with the leaders of the major camps. It seems I've come at an inopportune time..."
Zhang Chen mused to himself.
"Little brother, since you're here, please let us scan you. If you're qualified, you can go in; if not, you can go back!"
A reception girl said with a smile, her voice sweet, holding an item that resembled a camera.
"This is..."
Zhang Chen gazed at the item, and soon a prompt appeared:
[Identity Verifier]: Compares personal data captured via photograph with the world's biological energy network big data to determine one's organizational/camp ranking in the world, and one's position within the organization/camp.
Organizations are ranked against organizations, and camps against camps.
Biological energy network big data?
Zhang Chen keenly caught the familiar wording in the prompt.
It seemed to refer to the operational interface of the entire apocalypse game.
Initially, Zhang Chen believed it was truly just a game.
But as he explored the world and studied various records and historical accounts,
Zhang Chen now suspected that the entire game was part of this world. It wasn't a game at all, but rather some kind of... like the biological energy big data system mentioned above.
Earth used electricity for power, manufactured computers through semiconductors, thereby creating networks.
The biological energy in this world was extremely advanced. It was possible that the natives had developed computers based on carbon-based chips and biological energy networks.
If such a network truly existed...
Given the miraculous nature of biological energy, creating a system that interconnected everyone's minds and displayed an operational interface was a highly feasible technology!
Zhang Chen secretly resolved that if he had time to consult the library's resources,
He absolutely had to focus on finding information related to the biological energy network!
*Click!*
A shutter sound echoed.
While Zhang Chen was lost in thought, the reception girl completed the photograph and data upload.
She said with a smile:
"Please wait a moment, the information will be back soon!"
"But I should also tell you in advance that if you are not the leader of an organization or camp, you are not qualified to attend the combat meeting!"
"If you are the leader of a camp, but your camp does not rank within the top 50% worldwide, I still cannot allow you to attend the meeting, as this battle is very perilous. From the perspective of your safety, I hope you can understand!"
"Mm, I understand!"
Zhang Chen nodded.
"Let them scan. It's a good opportunity for me to find out my organization's ranking among all organizations worldwide."
Shortly after, the data was released.
The reception girl glanced at the data, and her expression instantly froze.
Her eyes widened in astonishment, as if she had seen something incredible!
After a long moment, she said, her voice trembling slightly:
"First... first place?"
"The number one organization in the world, Meng Yan's leader, Zhang Chen!"