Stronger with Crimson Modifier

Chapter 471: Chapter 367: Resistance and End (Part 1)

He could artificially increase the number of Evolvers.

And in doing so, improve the completeness of the unknown Talisman.

At this thought, a smile crept onto his lips.

He looked at the two of them and said,

"Excellent. You two have not disappointed me. I have a task for you."

A few minutes later, as he watched their departing figures,

the smile on Hu Qi’s face slowly faded, his expression returning to calm.

...

The sky grew increasingly gloomy. A fine, dense rain fell like an endless curtain of silver threads, drizzling down.

In a corner of the City of Dawn, near the outer city.

The air was thick with dampness, mixed with faint wisps of rot.

At a street corner,

a group of ragged, filthy people holding worn-out bowls stood in a messy line, quietly waiting to receive their porridge.

However, the vast majority of those in line were the old, the weak, women, and children.

The rest were people with physical disabilities.

"Hey, I’m talking to you! Young as you are, what are you doing trying to get in on this? Here for the relief porridge?"

Abruptly, a harsh reprimand shattered the somber atmosphere.

Immediately after, a young man with disheveled hair was violently hoisted from the crowd by a tall, brawny guard, who lifted him like a baby chick.

"Sir, have mercy! I won’t dare do it again!"

The man begged, his voice choked with sobs.

Only then did the crowd get a clear look at him.

Although his messy hair obscured most of his face, judging by his voice, he was only in his twenties or thirties.

"Get lost! Don’t let me see you again!"

The guard, his face full of disgust, casually threw the man aside.

The man tumbled several times on the ground, the fall leaving him dizzy as he cried out in pain.

But when his gaze met the guard’s, which was as bone-chillingly cold as a Cold Pool,

he sobered up instantly.

He scrambled to his feet and fled in a panic, running blindly.

After dealing with the matter, the guard’s sharp, hawk-like gaze swept over everyone present.

Everyone unconsciously lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.

"I’ll remind you all one more time: anyone over sixteen, under sixty, and able-bodied should not even think of getting something for nothing by coming here for relief porridge.

There are plenty of jobs in the city. You can earn points through work and exchange those points for food.

If I find anyone else breaking this rule and taking emergency food, they will be severely punished—I’ll break both their legs!"

Sensing the coldness emanating from the guard,

the crowd bowed their heads in silence.

Soon,

the line shortened.

Most had received their food.

But after getting their food, these people didn’t rush to leave. Instead, they found a spot to sit down nearby.

Guards were posted here. If they left, they could easily be robbed by the kind of idle loafers who refused to work.

Even though the City of Dawn had a complete set of laws and patrolling guards, it still couldn’t completely stop such incidents from happening.

...

"Brother Hao, that Lord City Lord is such a good person. We never had anything this good back at the Maple Forest Gathering Place."

The speaker was a little girl in pale yellow clothes, her hair unbound.

Her small face was grimy. She spoke indistinctly as she wolfed down the food in her bowl, looking at the somewhat gaunt youth beside her.

Meng Hao wanted to say something in response.

However, when he noticed someone passing by, he just nodded.

"Yeah."

As he spoke,

he looked down at the food in his bowl.

It was just a bowl of thin porridge, sprinkled with some vegetable leaves and tiny specks of meat.

To be honest, the food in the bowl was far from substantial.

But even so, it was enough to keep people like them from starving to death.

’But I don’t want to keep living like this, on handouts. I want more.’

Thinking of this,

his gaze shifted toward the tall Evolver guards and the prosperity of the inner City of Dawn in the distance.

"If I could become an Evolver, maybe... Mom, Dad, and Big Brother wouldn’t have died!"

Meng Hao’s eyes were numb.

A gloomy expression, completely at odds with his age, appeared on his face.

’Unfortunately, I can’t even gather the materials for the most basic awakening ritual...’

He sighed inwardly.

’Most of the Tier Five Desolate Gods in the world have already been dealt with by the Lord City Lord.

But Tier One to Tier Four Wild Beasts still exist.

For ordinary Evolvers and survivors,

the world outside the City of Dawn is still dangerous.

If a normal person can barely handle a Tier One Wild Beast,

then from Tier Two onwards, you’d need heavy weapons.

But those kinds of heavy weapons are usually only mounted on the inner and outer walls of a gathering place; an ordinary person could never carry one.

To deal with Wild Beasts, you still have to rely on Evolvers.

But how could it be so easy for an ordinary person to awaken?

The method for the awakening ritual was made public long ago, after the City of Dawn was established.

Anyone with the Ability could give it a try.

Unfortunately,

for an orphan like me, without the City of Dawn’s subsidies,

just staying alive is a problem.

How could I possibly have the Ability to capture a Wild Beast for the awakening ritual?

Perhaps my only hope is to wait until I’m a little older, then go out and take a gamble fighting a Wild Beast.’

Suddenly,

just as he was lost in thought,

the girl at his side tugged on his clothes.

"What is it, Xiaomo?"

He had just asked,

when he saw the girl pointing ahead.

"Brother Hao, there are so many people over there..."

Following her finger, he looked over.

Sure enough, a large crowd had gathered at the street corner ahead.

He was familiar with that spot.

It seemed to be the place where notices were usually posted.

Thinking of this, he gulped down the last of his porridge in a few mouthfuls, then stood up and led the girl over.

At that moment, a guard in iron armor stood in the center of the crowd.

And on the public notice board to the side, a new announcement had been posted.

But most of the people were illiterate and couldn’t understand what it said.

They could only beg the guard to explain.

In response,

the guard did not refuse.

He swept his gaze over the crowd

and began to speak.

"You all have really hit the jackpot. By order of the great City Lord,

we are now recruiting ten thousand people to undergo a new type of awakening ritual.

If you succeed, you’ll become an Evolver! What’s more, the Wild Beasts required for the awakening will all be provided by the City of Dawn!"

The guard’s words were like a bombshell, instantly sending shockwaves through the crowd.

"Sir, I want to join!"

"Count me in! And me!"

...

The crowd clamored impatiently, their voices rising and falling one after another.

Becoming an Evolver meant never having to worry about food or clothing again and earning a respected status. Who wouldn’t be tempted by such a great opportunity?

"Quiet!"

The guard snorted sharply, a sound like a clap of thunder that exploded in everyone’s ears.

Many people swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground from the shock. The scene immediately fell silent.

"This isn’t something you can join just because you want to.

Listen up. This recruitment is only for able-bodied individuals between the ages of twelve and twenty-five. The younger you are, the higher your priority."

At this point,

he paused.

He glanced at the crowd, and seeing they weren’t being disruptive like before, he nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he pointed to the side and said,

"Those who meet the conditions, go over there to register."

Over there, a canopy had been set up at some point. A table was placed beneath it, and behind the table sat a person wearing glasses.

It looked like they were there specifically to handle registrations.

When the crowd heard this,

the eagerness on most of their faces faded, replaced by disappointment and dejection.

Clearly, their age did not meet the requirements.

However, a small portion of them still ran over to sign up.

Meng Hao was one of them.

’This is my best chance.’

’If I miss it, I’ll regret it forever.’

As someone who had migrated from a medium-sized gathering place, he knew all too well the horrors of the wilderness outside.

His family had died in that wilderness.

And that was with a dedicated Evolver guide leading the way.

Therefore, he actually held no hope of being able to hunt a Wild Beast on his own and gather the materials for the awakening ritual.

But now that the City of Dawn was providing the Wild Beasts to help people awaken, there was no way he would refuse.

Although he had never heard of this so-called "new" awakening ritual, and there would surely be dangers during the process,

that was nothing compared to the enormous temptation of becoming an Evolver.