To quickly recruit more tenants, Su Wan posted a second mission on the newly unlocked Simple Mission Board:
【New Tenant Referral】: For every new tenant successfully referred who signs a contract, the referrer will receive a reward of 50 Star Coins.
Su Wan also spent Points to exchange for dedicated service robots for the convenience store, medical station, and Public Cafeteria.
Three robots with slightly different designs quietly appeared and established a data link with Butler-C1.
With these robots, she no longer had to worry about the day-to-day operations of these facilities.
The robots were not cheap, but since Su Wan already owed the system over twenty thousand Points, she adopted a "more debt, less worry" attitude.
Just as Su Wan finished the exchange, Butler-C1, who had been quietly monitoring the outside world, suddenly issued a warning:
【Warning: Detected high-speed moving units approaching from the direction of the Non-Safe Zone. Quantity: 3.】
【Warning: Detected high-intensity energy reaction and signs of a life-form threat tracking them, located approximately two thousand meters behind said units, approaching rapidly!】
Su Wan was in the hallway at the time. Hearing the warning, she stepped out the door.
She saw three figures sprinting toward the shelter at extreme speeds, stumbling as they ran!
Their speed far exceeded that of ordinary refugees. Although their movements were panicked, their basic physical conditioning was clearly very high.
The clothing of these three was vastly different from the refugees in the Ruin Zone!
They wore high-grade combat suits of a uniform design. These suits were deep gray, made of a special fabric, and featured obvious functional modules.
Though covered in dust and stains now, the refined tailoring and protective quality were still evident.
Each person carried a compact tactical backpack, with multi-functional belts around their waists. Most striking were the weapons held in their hands or strapped to their backs.
These were not the cold weapons or crude crossbows commonly used by refugees, but standard-issue firearms with precise structures that glinted with a metallic chill!
On each of their chests hung a metal badge with complex engravings.
Their faces were filled with extreme terror and panic as they constantly looked back, as if a soul-devouring demon was behind them.
When they saw the Terminal Station building standing abruptly amidst the ruins ahead, a wild joy of escaping death erupted in their eyes simultaneously!
“There’s a building! A sturdy building! We’re saved!”
“Quick! Get inside and hide!” the man in the lead roared. He was tall, and his voice was distorted by fear and the strain of running.
“There seems to be someone there!” The slightly younger man in the middle pointed at Su Wan, who was standing on the steps of the entrance.
The middle-aged man running at the back had sharp eyes, but they were currently clouded with gloom. He glanced at Su Wan, his gaze lingering for a moment on her clean clothes before his lips curled into a disdainful sneer:
“Just some pariah who got lucky and survived! Kill her and clear the place! This location is ours now!”
The tall man seemed a bit hesitant. “She doesn’t look like an ordinary refugee. She’s too clean.”
The middle-aged man snorted coldly. “Even if she isn’t bottom-tier trash, anyone staying on the edge of these ruins can’t have a very high status!”
“Anyone who ends up here is either a fugitive or an exiled loser! Stop talking and get inside! That thing is about to catch up!”
As they sprinted, they expertly raised their firearms, aiming them directly at Su Wan standing by the door!
Their movements were crisp and efficient, carrying a cold indifference that treated human life as nothing more than grass.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several rapid gunshots tore through the silence of the ruins!
Searing bullets sliced through the air, heading straight for Su Wan’s chest and head!
They were aiming to kill her!
However, the moment the bullets entered a zone about a meter away from Su Wan’s body—
It was as if they had struck an absolutely invisible yet indestructible wall!
All the bullets seemed to sink into the thickest gel, eerily coming to a complete standstill and hovering in mid-air, unable to advance even a fraction of an inch!
“What?!”
“An Ability User?!”
The three fugitives skidded to a halt, the wild joy on their faces instantly replaced by shock and bewilderment.
They stared fixedly at the hovering bullets, then at Su Wan, who remained expressionless on the steps.
To block assault rifle bullets so effortlessly, she had to be at least a Level 3 Protection-type or Telekinetic-type Ability User!
An Ability User of this level would be a figure of some standing even in the Inner City.
Why would someone like that be out here?
Could she really have been exiled?
The terrifying threat behind them was drawing closer. The faint sound of grinding bones mixed with the slithering of slime could be heard.
The three turned pale, cold sweat pouring down their faces.
The middle-aged man’s eyes flickered as he forced down his shock and impatience, shouting to Su Wan, “Friend! We are members of the Panshi Exploration Company’s Third Exploration Team!”
“We’re being pursued by a dangerous Aberrant! We need to borrow this place to hide! Let us in quickly!”
The middle-aged man’s tone was still filled with a sense of superiority.
The tall man also added hurriedly, “Yes! We can pay you! Crystal Cores, Credit Points, anything! Get out of the way!”
The younger one, while nervously looking back, urged her in a nearly commanding tone:
“What are you standing there for? Open the barrier and let us in! If anything happens to us, not even a rat in this area will be allowed to live!”
Their tone was less of a request and more of an announcement.
It was as if allowing them to enter for refuge was an honor for Su Wan and this building—a form of charitable grace.
Even after confirming that Su Wan might be an Ability User, that sense of superiority stemming from their status in an “Inner City company” still prevented them from humbling themselves.
Su Wan listened quietly to their anxious yet arrogant shouts and looked behind them.
Then, she slowly and clearly shook her head.
“No.”
Two words, calm and rippleless, yet carrying an unquestionable refusal.
The expressions on the three men’s faces froze instantly, then transformed into unbelievable rage.
“What did you say?!”
“You bitch! Do you have any idea who we are?!”
“You’re looking for death! Once we deal with the thing behind us, we’ll make sure you end up in a laboratory!”
However, their threats and bluster sounded hollow and powerless against the spine-chilling shrieks and the vibration of the ground behind them.
Su Wan’s refusal shattered the last bit of hope in their hearts.
At the same time, the soul-shuddering shrieks and heavy crawling sounds from behind were now right upon them!
They turned back in terror only to see a massive, distorted figure suddenly lunge out from the dust!
Rate on N.U.
