Re: Evolution Online

"Ah. You are right. I can indeed see that the fox is not willing. I guess in that case, we can't really help it."

The atmosphere in the room went from warm to freezing cold in a split second. Everyone became tense. The air was buzzing. What was going to happen now? Were they going to fight with this guy?

Some of the soldiers even subconsciously gripped the weapon in their hands. However, on the other side, Liam remained calm. He silently gazed at the leader, wondering if he was really going to force his hand. 

Not that he cared. It would just be a waste of manpower and also plain sad to see such trained personnel dying for little to nothing, but if it can't be helped... Liam let out a small sigh.

Unexpectedly, the next second… 

Zhu Huang opened his mouth. "In that case, would you be willing to trade with something else? Perhaps some other information that is equally valuable?"

The man's words made Liam raise his brows, and even the other military soldiers present in the room looked rather shocked. No one had expected the conversation to continue so smoothly, even after the blatant disagreement. Had their leader given up just like that?

But that was exactly what was happening!

"I indeed have some valuable information to trade." Liam smiled. He was rather happy with how things were going. Though these people had tested his patience a little, they still hadn't gone too far, so they deserved the benefit of the doubt. 

"It is about mana zombies." Liam continued.

"Mana zombies?"

Everyone listened intently as Liam started sharing the details about how to prevent people from turning into rabid attacking machines. 

He did not hold back and also shared the details about how beast meat can passively improve one's basic stats. Though this was only to a certain extent, the few stat point advantages in the beginning stages were not to be underestimated.

Apart from this, Liam warned them about the vampire issue that was spreading like wildfire, the way they gained stats by drinking blood, and how they no longer possessed any semblance of their selves, essentially becoming a new person or rather an animal.

He mainly stressed that there was no point in trying to get through to them or showing them any sort of kindness. If one became a vampire, then they were as good as dead.

He then told them about the portals and the elites from the portals that were especially strong. He also shared details about the location of the magic shop in the area and information about the existence of dungeons where the military soldiers could train.

He warned them about the fast rate at which the beasts were becoming stronger and stronger and how it was better to hunt down these stray beasts in bigger groups to avoid casualties.

Lastly, he even told them that there was a possibility of another attack wave like the one that happened the day the apocalypse descended.

He was extremely generous and helped them out quite a bit. 

With each word he said, the men standing in the room became tensed and shocked. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

And these were not just any men. The people who had assembled for this meeting were mostly the division leaders for different units, so they absorbed every single bit of information that Liam was throwing at them.

Only after they listened to them they understood how fragile their current position actually was. Their safety and position of power right now was nothing but a mirage that could shatter any day now.

While they thought that they had a handle on things, the reality couldn't be further away. Some even started sweating profusely at the thought of what would happen if they had already confronted the vampire lord.

The discussion lasted for about half an hour, after which everyone in the room looked at Liam with a different gaze, something mixed with fear, respect, and awe. It was truly a pity that this person was not willing to commit himself to the army.

However, they all also felt very grateful for him as these were crucial matters that he had shared, the things that were needed for their survival.

Even Zhu Huang seemed visibly impressed with what Liam had given him for the trade. He really did not expect to gain so much. 

Moreover, the other party also did not try to do any cheap negotiations and simply trusted them by willingly sharing his side of things first, even though there was no guarantee of getting anything in return.

What he did not know was that Liam had a method of obtaining what he wanted no matter what.

Nevertheless, Zhu Huang also did not seem as if he planned to do any underhanded things. After Liam finished his part, the military leader also nodded and asked one of his subordinates to bring over a map of the region.

He promptly gave this to Liam without any shenanigans.

"This is the last seen location of the vampire lord. We know him to be the vampire lord because the few vampires we managed to capture and kill proudly boasted that their lord would come to their rescue."

"Oh?" Liam's eyes lit up in interest. The thing that he wanted was finally here. He actually did not expect these people to have any real information, but this seemed valid? Either way, it wouldn't take too long for him to check it out.

"How many days has it been since your group located him at this place?" He asked.

Zhu Huang immediately grinned. It was their turn to show their upper hand. "That's the thing. We tried to scout the place a few times to see if he had left, but for the past several days, this lord has always been at that same place at the same spot."

"It is as if he is guarding something. Do you understand what I mean, Mr. Liam?" The military general asked with a knowing look on his face.

Now Liam understood why the person had proposed to trade something for this information. If what he said was indeed true, then he might gain more than a soul minion this time around.

However, that would be getting ahead of himself. 

Liam did not want to take the intel he received too much to heart as these people did not know the difference between heads and tails when it came to this new world. 

They were even planning to take out the vampire 'big one' with the few low-leveled soldiers. Sure, they had firearms, but with the speed and agility the monster possessed, none of that would have been useful.

After getting the map, Liam did not linger around for much longer and quickly left the compound after exchanging a few more pleasantries. Overall, his experience here wasn't too bad, and the group seemed to have a lot more potential.

But the question was how much they would be able to hold onto when the next wave hits? 

If they somehow manage to use his tips and survive and improve in the next few days, then it would be worth recruiting this group as well to the guild. Otherwise, this would be their last encounter.

Kyuuu!

A voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and Liam chuckled as he looked at the pouting fox. "What? Are you mad at me? Of course, I was not going to give you to them, you little idiot!"

Kyuuu!

Luna shook her head, refusing to listen to the explanation, and looked extremely down and depressed.

"What a drama queen!"

Liam pulled the fox off the ground and held her close to his chest, snuggling her and petting her. Only then the 'sadness' seemed to reduce a little.

"Alright. Can we go now? Maybe this vampire lord is guarding something tasty?" Liam winked.

Immediately, the rest of the sadness also magically disappeared.

The white fox became extremely spirited as she jumped back onto the ground with a cute, shameless grin and ballooned up, preparing to leave the area. 

Then right in front of everyone's eyes, the duo departed by taking off high into the sky. They flew ahead at a speed that was unimaginable for the common people standing on the ground and watching them.

Several of the soldiers gulped in disbelief.

Flying! The fox was actually capable of flying! 

They only assumed that the fox was a magical beast capable of acting as a combat partner, but they did not think that the creature was this special.

To be able to fly… several soldiers collectively sighed. If only they were also able to do something as astonishing as this, then wouldn't they also become exponentially stronger?

Even Zhu Huang's eyes shone with a strange light as he watched this scene. No one could tell what was going on in the man's head.

"Sir, are we really going to let them leave? Just like this?" One of his trusted soldiers stepped forward and asked.

"Hmmm…" Zhu Huang silently hummed. He did not respond to anything, and he walked back into his office room.