Chapter Thirty-Two: The Servant

Fan Bei said this aloud, but in his heart he thought: As expected, something’s fishy.

Earlier, Da Bai had mentioned that Xiao Bai was extremely angry—an unprecedented kind of anger—and had quickly driven away that swindler from the sky, probably for fear that too much information would be exposed. If only that swindler could communicate with him directly—but that was impossible. Without having bound himself to a system, he couldn’t even withstand Xiao Bai’s method of communication.

But he was supposed to be bound to the “Father of Systems.” Why couldn’t this entity function as a proper system? That truth remained to be unearthed.

With this thought, he sighed again and said, “If only that guy weren’t a fraud. But really, resurrection from the dead? The moment you hear it, it sounds implausible. And for only 6,480 points of mental energy—how could that be?”

Da Bai nodded repeatedly, bumping his head gently against Fan Bei’s legs, a picture of canine devotion and comfort.

Fan Bei soon collected himself, and, together with Da Bai, carefully finished clearing out the remaining examination rooms.

It seemed that the self-important evil spirit in the reception hall had claimed the entire medical district for itself. Since eliminating it, he hadn’t found any other evil entities.

That certainly made things easier, though in terms of actual spoils, the haul was less than he’d hoped.

Still, one ought to be content. Just days ago, he had been living in constant fear, dreading the exhaustion of his mental energy and the disappearance of Jin Dashan.

Now, at last, he could breathe easy—a reserve of over 3,500 points of mental energy, enough to last more than a month.

And for the coming month or so, as long as he kept a low profile with Da Bai and avoided unnecessary trouble, the reserves would only grow.

After all, outside, an entire nest of evil awaited cleansing.

Fan Bei straightened up, patted Da Bai on the head, and said, “Alright, Da Bai, let’s push a bit further today. If we can clear out half the residential district to the east, we’ll head home for dinner! I’ll make you a new dish!”

“Yes, Master!” Da Bai barked with delight, drooling in anticipation.

Man and dog quickly left the medical area and walked back to the central corridor.

They were just about to head to the residential sector when, suddenly, a warning sounded in the corridor.

“There is an external visitor requesting communication with the survivors of the shelter. Will the relevant personnel please respond promptly.”

Fan Bei was taken aback. The last time he’d traded with the Bronze Fortress was on the 7th—barely four days ago. Now someone else had come?

It appeared the visitor was requesting a conversation via the shelter’s main entrance security system.

Last time, he’d been forced to contact the Bronze Fortress convoy by radio, which meant both sides didn’t need to communicate through the gate intercom. After all, that would have meant keeping the visitor exposed outside for a long time, and even with protective gear, the heat would have been unbearable. The radio was far more convenient.

Of course, when the shelter was built, wireless signal relay was installed throughout the main functional areas, allowing the radio to work inside the control room.

But this time, another unknown party had found their way to his shelter.

If they hadn’t initiated contact through the security system, but instead attacked…

The moment he considered this possibility, the sense of ease that had just begun to grow inside him vanished completely.

He couldn’t afford to relax. On the contrary, he had to continue squeezing every ounce of potential from himself, just as before, to strengthen his position.

Especially now, having survived the initial stages and secured a solid foundation, he couldn’t allow complacency to bring disaster.

He called Da Bai and hurried toward the main control room on the west side of the central corridor.

His breathing was steady, his stride brisk. Years of physical training had left him with a body in peak condition—a man in his twenties at his prime.

Da Bai kept pace easily. With system upgrades and daily training guided by missions, he could maximize every attribute of his form.

Man and dog entered the control room.

Fan Bei skillfully located the security system’s intercom, and, through the surveillance monitor, saw what was happening outside.

Standing before the gilded entrance was a young man in a business suit, wearing a professional smile, his face tilted up toward the camera.

His features were even and well-proportioned, his complexion tanned, tie neatly knotted, not a button out of place—at a glance, the very image of a corporate elite from the peaceful era.

Fan Bei was instantly alert.

This man dared to stand outside, exposed to the air, without any protective gear?

He vividly recalled how, during the previous trade with the Bronze Fortress, the armored merchant had handled goods from the remote-controlled car with the utmost caution.

At that moment, the corporate-looking man spoke.

“Excuse me, is there anyone on duty inside?”

His smile was professional, but a trace of impatience flickered in his eyes, as if he’d already repeated this question several times.

Fan Bei considered, then replied through the intercom, “Hello, I’m the staff member on duty. May I ask where you’re from, and what assistance you need?”

He spoke with equal professionalism, having rehearsed these lines countless times in his mind, waiting for this very moment.

“Greetings to our friends at Shelter 364. I am Xie Bo, Deputy Manager of the Third Caravan of the Silver Guild. We come from Silver City in the southeast, and our purpose here is to establish a long-term, stable trade channel with your community,” the young man stated concisely, summarizing his origins and intent.

Fan Bei frowned, resting his chin on his hand. To be honest, he had no urgent need for external trade at the moment.

Ideally, he’d prefer a year or two to develop in peace, allowing Da Bai to evolve from a level-three dog to level ten, or even twenty, if possible.

Meanwhile, he could create a few more systems and put them in place, gaining the confidence to tackle any future venture.

But reality wasn’t a game of leveling up. By resolving the crisis of insufficient mental energy through outside contact, he’d also invited risks.

People came and went as they pleased, unless this place was truly a den of monsters.

With this in mind, he mentally prepared himself once more for a possible escape with Da Bai.

As for material preparations, those had been taken care of last time—everything was stored in the one-ton space of the “Father of Systems.”

Now, with Da Bai equipped with several skills and with “Xiao Bai” as a backup, even if they had to flee, survival was possible.

Having considered all this, he felt more assured. “Hello, sir, I’m Fan Bei. As for your request, I’ll report to our village chief right away…”

Before he could finish, the professional-looking man shook his head, showing a hint of disappointment.

“Mr. Fan, we completely understand your cautious attitude here in the wasteland. But please believe us—we are a legitimate trade caravan, not bandits.

“In fact, there’s only you in this shelter, isn’t there? You are the owner, or by your customs, perhaps the village chief, Fan. And there should be one other living creature here—a dog, perhaps.” He spoke as if it were nothing.

Fan Bei’s expression changed, but he quickly regained composure.

Since there existed beings like Xiao Bai capable of using healing skills, why would it be surprising for the other side to have someone with a “mental scan” ability?

“Alright,” he replied calmly, “so how do you propose we trade?”

“Our range of goods is extensive. As for currency, we generally accept gold, silver, or copper—all hard currency. Of course, if you trade with us frequently, we recommend switching to the silver coins issued by Silver City—very elegant, and you’ll receive sizable discounts.”

Xie Bo explained with a salesman’s poise, as professional as could be.

This eased Fan Bei’s wariness a little, but he still refused: “I’m self-sufficient at present and need nothing. Perhaps you’re unaware, but I recently traded with the folks from Bronze Fortress and obtained plenty from them.”

“Yes, we’re actually aware of that. Not only are there obvious traces left by the nearby convoy, but we have a station at Bronze Fortress as well,” Xie Bo smiled again, then continued, “but we have goods they cannot offer—goods you definitely need. Sometimes, customers don’t realize what they need until we appear.”

“What goods do I need so badly?” Fan Bei couldn’t help but ask, intrigued.

“Servants—absolutely reliable servants.”

Under the surveillance camera, Xie Bo’s expression radiated utter confidence.