I have an Apocalypse City

Chapter 525: Chapter 525 Materials

Song Jian turned around and noticed a young man wearing a black robe, holding a bone wand in his hand, standing about five or six meters away from him. He was looking at Song with an affable smile.

The young man had silver shoulder-length hair, piercing purple eyes, and a handsome face. He appeared to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.

Next to him stood a skeleton warrior gripping an sharp ax. Its crimson eyes appeared somewhat dim, unmoving and obedient. It seemed to be a summon of the young man’s.

“Are you a necromancer?” Song Jian ventured to ask.

“I guess you could say that.” Tang Ming eyed Song Jian up and down, his smile broadening. He then inquired, “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“I am Song Jian. I am heading to Shadowfang Mountain Range. I saw this small town and decided to take a break here.” Song Jian responded with a smile, “Is this your hometown? It’s quite remote.”

There was no information above the youth’s head, indicating that he was also a player.

“Very few players come here. Likely, I’m the only one to have spawned here.” Tang Ming lamented, “Since starting the game, I’ve been playing solo. I’ve never interacted with other players.”

“It seems you’ve had some poor luck, randomly spawning in such a desolate place.” Song Jian shook his head.

“It’s not too bad. At least I’m still alive. By the way, my name’s Tang Ming. You’re the first player I’ve met!” Tang Ming said.

Song Jian nodded, then pointed to the flower garden and asked, “You mentioned earlier not to approach this flower garden. Does it pose a danger?”

“Indeed it does!” Tang Ming nodded, “It hides a level 30 monster with significant strength. Any creature that comes within three meters of the garden will be snatched up and swallowed by it!”

“So dangerous?” Song Jian’s brow furrowed, wondering if the hidden monster had Tier 1 Combat Power. If it was just a level 30 ordinary monster, or a Boss without Tier 1 Combat Power, then Song Jian was confident he could kill it.

“Not particularly dangerous, as long as you keep your distance. And its presence actually helps me survive in this town…” Tang Ming said, a shiver running down his spine.

“Is this town dangerous?” Song Jian looked around and asked.

“It’s fine during the day, but at night, powerful spectral monsters appear in the town. So, I generally try not to leave the house after dark.” Tang Ming explained, “I’ve never ventured beyond a five kilometer radius of the town, so I have no clue where Shadowfang Mountain Range is. Could you tell me about the world outside?”

“Of course!” Song Jian replied enthusiastically, glancing at the garden once again. Interestingly, it seemed as if this creature served as a protector. Though the creature itself probably had no awareness of this, and simply hunted anything that approached it;

However, such behavior could be manipulated by players seeking to protect themselves.

“Let’s head to my safe house first. It will soon be nightfall.” Tang Ming glanced at the setting sun and urged Song Jian to follow.

Song Jian nodded, and they both headed towards Tang Ming’s safe house.

Tang Ming led Song Jian to an old two-story building and walked in through the front door.

“This is your safe house?” Song Jian was taken aback. Surveying the room, he noticed the house was very dilapidated. There was no defensive wall and the ground floor had a large hole in the wall that appeared to have been caused by an impact.

Such a safe house barely offered any defense. Song Jian wondered how it could have withstood the monster attacks it would’ve faced during construction;

If Tang Ming hadn’t brought him here, Song Jian would have never considered it a safe house.

“Technically, we haven’t entered the actual safe house yet.” Tang Ming revealed a mysterious smile and headed towards a fireplace on the wall of the living room.

Song Jian paused for a moment, then followed Tang Ming. Indeed, Tang Ming walked directly into the abandoned fireplace and was out of sight.

After some hesitation, Song Jian followed suit. As he walked through the fireplace, he felt as if he were passing through a thin bubble. Once he entered the fireplace, he discovered a spiraling stone staircase leading underground.

“My safe house is built underground. It’s safer and easier to defend here,” Tang Ming explained, descending the staircase.

Magical lanterns were embedded in the walls on either side of the staircase, illuminating the way down.

Soon, they arrived in a spacious room. Song Jian glanced at the ceiling and estimated they were about tens of meters underground. It was clear that Tang Ming had put a great deal of effort into this safe house.

“Please feel at home. You’ll be the first player to visit here.” Tang Ming said, smiling.

“Thank you for your hospitality. Otherwise, I would have to spend another night in the wilderness.” Song Jian replied, his face flashing a bitter smile.

Spending the previous two days in the wilderness had been tough. He couldn’t even light a fire, making it impossible to cook. He had to snack on hardtack and sleep in trees;

Thankfully, it hadn’t rained these last two days, otherwise Song Jian might have found himself in even greater hardship;

“Stay as long as you like!” Tang Ming cheerfully insisted.

After a hearty dinner, Song Jian retired to his bedroom for rest.

Having seen Song Jian enter the room, Tang Ming’s warm smile suddenly morphed into a sly grin.

Surveying the rather simple bedroom, Song Jian had a strange feeling;

“Isn’t Tang Ming being a little too enthusiastic towards me? It’s unusual.” Song Jian thought, “But then again, having never met another player since entering the game, his overexcitement upon meeting one is not too strange.”

After watching Song Jian enter the bedroom, Tang Ming went to another room. It appeared to be a lab; a large experimental table was filled with beakers and test tubes. Across the room a small crucible bubbled viscously with red liquid, filling the air with a sweet aroma;

In the middle of the lab, a complex magic array flickered with light. At its core stood a coffin-like crystal trough. Through the crystal, it seemed as if there was a person lying inside.

Upon examining the crystal trough, a smile crossed Tang Ming’s face. He gently patted the skeleton warrior that stood guard beside him and whispered, “Soon you will gain a new comrade. Today is indeed a lucky day for me. Not only will I acquire another skeleton warrior, but I will also obtain a potential for a skeleton champion.”

…