Recruitment
In times of war and turmoil, heroes are never in short supply. In fact, it is precisely because of disasters that the names of heroes are forged. In the surviving cities of the apocalypse, each has its unique guardians. Among these people are warlords, tyrants, and great generals. Regardless of their differing personalities, one thing is certain: it is because of their presence that ordinary people have a place of stability and safety.
Feng Zhiyong.
He is something of a legend. Unlike Professionals who dominate the situation with overwhelming power, Feng Zhiyong is just an ordinary person. He is the leading figure in J City, commanding others through sheer personal charisma, and at one point, he became a role model for many ordinary people .
The awakening of Professionals has brought about a stark polarization within the ranks of humanity.
Some believe that with their newfound power, they have a greater responsibility to protect humanity. However, many others disagree, seeing themselves as the favored ones of this new era. To them, ordinary people are merely the casualties of this catastrophe, nothing more than ants to be trampled underfoot.
"Hello, I believe I owe you a thank you. You saved my soldiers."
Feng Zhiyong steadied himself. As the future leader of this city, he exhibited remarkable composure, quickly recovering from the shock of witnessing the Dark Elf kneel.
Standing before him was a young man. Although there were many awakened individuals in the military, with some professionals exhibiting strange and varied abilities, it was rare to see someone so young remain so calm in the face of monsters. This composure caught Feng Zhiyong's attention, prompting him to take a second, longer look.
Following behind the young man was the captivating girl with long, striking white hair. She held a long bow and looked at Feng Zhiyong and his group with a scrutinizing gaze.
Five meters.
This was a carefully chosen distance.
With the dark elf's current speed, it was close enough for her to kill several people. Her primary target, of course, was Feng Zhiyong. If anything went wrong, she was confident that she could subdue him within a second.
The soldier named Feng Zhiyong had a serious expression, lacking any sense of superiority. Instead, he resembled a shopkeeper welcoming a guest.
Feng Zhiyong was not a saint; after all, this was a cold and brutal world. Without a shrewd leader, one might not even live to see the first rays of dawn.
Looking at a leopard through a bamboo tube.
The tip of the iceberg.
To kill the deformed beast, he was willing to sacrifice over twenty lives. Even if there were significant reasons behind his actions, his ruthlessness alone marked him as a formidable figure.
Chen Feng had no hidden agenda—if he had one, it would be an open and straightforward plan.
In truth, Chen Feng had arrived long ago. With his assistance, the Ghost Assassin and others might have survived, but he chose not to intervene from start to finish...
The more who died, the stronger the deformed beast would appear.
And killing the deformed beast would prove his own worth.
It was a simple truth. The Iron Forger and the others were stepping stones for the deformed beast, while the deformed beast served as a stepping stone for Chen Feng. He needed to demonstrate his worth—a display of saving everyone from danger. This might seem ostentatious, but the rewards would be proportional.
Not everyone is afforded the same treatment as Feng Zhiyong.
"My name is Chen Feng."
With a brief introduction, Chen Feng stood straight and nodded at Feng Zhiyong.
"I am a summoner. My ability is to summon Dimensional Entities to fight. I've been hiding in a nearby police station for the past few days and came here when I heard the noise."
"Dimensional Entities ..."
Upon hearing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Feng Zhiyong's stern face. He glanced at the dark elf—indeed, her appearance was unlike any human's.
Though he didn't fully understand what Chen Feng meant by Dimensional Entities, from what he had observed in recent days, Feng Zhiyong knew the world had undergone drastic changes. The deformed beast before them was clearly not a product of this world.
However, as a seasoned leader, Feng Zhiyong quickly regained his composure. He nodded and said with sincere gratitude, "Regardless, I must thank you for stepping in. Without your help, some of my soldiers might have met the maker. Too many have died along the way. I think..."
Here, Feng Zhiyong paused, casting a glance at the Dark Elf before turning back to Chen Feng. If what the young man said was true, then he undoubtedly controlled the archer's choices.
"When the disaster struck, the city was thrown into chaos. If possible, I hope you can join us. This would greatly enhance our security... Of course, I wouldn't ask you to do anything particularly dangerous..."
Perhaps recalling the fate of the Iron Forger, Feng Zhiyong quickly changed his tone. He didn't want Chen Feng to think he was merely being used as cannon fodder.
Feng Zhiyong fell silent, realizing the importance of his next steps. Talking with someone who could control such a powerful being was crucial. The loss of three professionals was a devastating blow to Feng Zhiyong.
Talent.
He needed to gather all the talent nearby to protect the city and its people.
Seeing Chen Feng's silence, Feng Zhiyong couldn't fathom what he was thinking. Just as he was about to elaborate...
"I agree."
Chen Feng's voice was soft but filled with resolve.
"What... What did you say? Really? That's wonderful!"
Originally, Feng Zhiyong had little hope, given the heavy casualties on his side—more than a dozen soldiers dead, three professionals killed in action. Such a bloody scene would cause most to retreat. What surprised him was how readily Chen Feng agreed.
Sensing Feng Zhiyong's joy, Chen Feng slowly spoke, "I agree to join you, but I have some conditions. My abilities require the corpses of monsters, so in future battles, I hope to obtain some of the more powerful monsters' bodies. Also, I need a position—not as an ordinary soldier, but in management..."
Chen Feng paused, giving Feng Zhiyong time to consider his request.
"That's it?"
Feng Zhiyong's eyes widened in surprise. To demand monster corpses—what of it? He could give them all to him. They weren't fit for consumption, and they were troublesome to dispose of.
As for a management position, that was even easier. As a Professional, Chen Feng was exactly the kind of person Feng Zhiyong needed to elevate into a hero. Granting him some military rank was no problem, especially if it didn't infringe on his authority.
In fact, Feng Zhiyong had encountered other professionals recently. Many had become arrogant, drunk on their newfound power, some even fancying themselves as superheroes destined to establish their own factions, like in movies. After he had extended strong invitations, their conditions made Feng Zhiyong want to shoot them on the spot.
Compared to them, Chen Feng's request was nothing.
"Please believe in my sincerity. I can assure you that with the need to clear the streets, you'll have your pick of monster corpses. As for your rank, you can rest assured, I'll see to it that you're given a satisfactory position..."
Feng Zhiyong was earnest.
At this moment, he was generous because J City had not yet seen the emergence of Professionals like blacksmiths and enchanters. These individuals could create unique equipment from monster corpses. In the future, the corpses of monsters above the Bronze level would even become currency in human transactions.
Chen Feng wasn't greedy.
He didn't plan to stay here forever. Unlike the Dark Elf, a pet who could gain the blessings of an evil god through sacrifice, the Dretch—a foolish creature—didn't have such privileges. It needed a vast amount of food to have any chance of advancing to the next level.
Feeding the Dretch with the resources of an entire city—this was another reason why Chen Feng was eager to join the military.
Even if enchanters emerged in the future and the value of monster corpses increased, by then, the Dretch would have already evolved after devouring numerous monsters...