The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 160

"Damn it, a bunch of brainless idiots."

The captain of the Awakened Ones at Wanghu cursed angrily.

Before the words were even finished, a fierce battle erupted between the two sides.

The Rock Awakeners brandished their weapons and roared as they charged toward the lake.

Meanwhile, the awakened ones at Wanghu skillfully dodged.

The battle lasted for more than ten minutes, with both sides suffering considerable losses, including casualties.

The Rock Awakener captain's arm was pierced by a spear, while the Lake Awakener captain's shoulder was also injured.

Just as the battle was about to reach its climax, the captain of the Lake-Wang Awakened was still shouting, "Wait! Are you sure you're not mistaken?"

This sentence caused both of them to stop moving.

Seeing that the other party still looked confused, the captain of the Rock Awakener, panting heavily, stared at the group of people looking towards the lake:

"You really didn't have anyone who attacked us?"

"We attacked your people? What a joke! You bunch of Rocky trash, do you think you could even react to a sneak attack?" The captain of the Lake-Gazing Awakeners replied coldly, panting.

At the same time, he cursed them inwardly. If it weren't for the leader's request to keep a low profile during this period, he would have already fought with this group of idiots.

After a moment of silence, the captain of the Rock Awakener narrowed his eyes and continued to ask:

"Our people are nearby and have found traces of a battle between unknown awakened beings. You, Wanghu, are the closest to us. How do you explain that?"

“That means there’s a strong possibility that an Awakened force we’ve never seen before has appeared in this area.” The Awakened Captain of Wanghu said thoughtfully.

“I can’t completely trust you. Let’s stop fighting for now. When you get back, tell your leader to confirm who the person we’re looking for really is,” the Rock Awakener captain suggested.

After a brief exchange, both parties finally realized that this might be a misunderstanding.

In a day or two.

Not only in this area, but in various regions south of the mountains, at least three or four similar incidents have occurred.

Some sides, like them, stopped fighting and had a proper talk.

Some even fought directly to the point of mutual destruction.

However, all sorts of news reached the ears of the leaders on both sides through various channels.

Ultimately, both sides decided to send one relatively powerful Blackrock-level representative to meet and exchange intelligence in the area between the two factions.

……

Meanwhile, the construction work of the survivors of Biyun is in full swing.

With everyone's joint efforts, the study group, led by Chairman Wu, Lin Qianqian, Cheng Rui, and others, has been working for nearly ten days.

I have finally figured out the six basic runes in the Origin Clan runes.

In the afternoon.

The group of people in the cave settlement were all standing in the rune laboratory inside the cave.

Key members of both the study and combat teams are gathered here.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the simple leather armor made of black leather on the table.

To be honest, this leather armor is very simple. The surface is completely black, and you can't tell what's engraved on it.

"Let's begin," Han Ning nodded in agreement.

"Vice President Zhao, this is for you." Cheng Rui picked up the leather armor and handed it to the other person.

Unlike in the past, this time, everyone is going to let Vice President Zhao, who has thick skin, personally experience the defensive power of the leather armor.

Chapter 180 Simple Leather Armor

"Is there anything special about it? Is it just something you put on?" Vice President Zhao looked the small leather armor up and down and asked.

"Well, don't let its small size fool you, it's actually quite stretchy, so even with your build, you'll have no problem wearing it."

"However... you'll still be burst after you transform. Let's test your defensive capabilities first, and optimize your flexibility later," Cheng Rui explained.

"Okay." Vice President Zhao did as instructed, taking off his clothes to reveal his well-dressed upper body and putting on leather armor.

The tiny leather armor covering his over 1.8-meter-tall body looked like a pair of cute little underwear, quite incongruous.

However, no one noticed this incongruity at the moment; everyone's attention was focused on the leather armor.

Cheng Rui took two steps back and made a gesture.

"Old Xu, you go first," Han Ning gestured.

Xu Ming was the first to step forward, drawing his iron axe, its blade gleaming coldly in the lamplight.

"Captain Zhao, stand firm."

He gave a low shout, and the axe blade, accompanied by a whooshing sound, slammed into the leather armor on Vice President Zhao's left shoulder.

"puff!"

It sounded like the sound of chopping into old cowhide.

The black surface of the leather armor was covered with a faint white film.

Xu Ming's arm went numb from the recoil. Looking closely, he saw only a faint white mark on the leather armor, without even breaking the leather surface.

"Xu Ming is around level 6, which is the lowest damage among level 6, not bad."

Han Ning glanced at Lin Qianqian.

"Qianqian, you go first."

"Ah."

Lin Qianqian nocked an arrow and drew her bow; the arrowhead emitted a bright white light.

"Be careful," she warned, releasing the bowstring.

"call out!"

The arrow transformed into a streak of light, striking Vice President Zhao's right shoulder. The white light subsided before exploding violently.

Snapped!

The leather armor on his right shoulder tore instantly, revealing Old Zhao's strong shoulder.

Old Zhao couldn't withstand the force of the explosion and took a few steps back.

After two rounds of testing, Vice President Zhao was only slightly agitated by the final shockwave, but he didn't even get a scratch.

Cheng Rui stepped forward and carefully examined the condition of the leather armor, especially the damaged area.

"President Qianqian is too strong. It is difficult for ordinary awakened beings to reach her level of destructive power."

He looked up at the excited crowd and added,

"The defensive capabilities have basically met the design expectations, and the energy buffering effect is very good."

"However, please note that this energy shield is powered by low-grade energy stone powder embedded inside the leather armor. It consumes a lot of energy after just two rounds of attacks."

He pointed with his finger to several inconspicuous grooves in the lining of the leather armor.

"The powder inside has turned grayish-white and needs to be replenished or replaced promptly, otherwise the shield will become ineffective. Also..."

He patted his leather armor.

"When activated, this thing can also lock in body temperature and has a strong warming effect."

"The leather armor of the elite black serpent monster is considered the lowest-grade material that can support runes. If there were higher-grade materials, the defense could be improved."

"How many energy stones does it take to consume each time?" Xu Ming asked curiously.

Perhaps this leather armor would offer limited help to stronger Awakened individuals like Lin Qianqian and Vice President Zhao.

But for ordinary people like them who can only reach the minimum level of awakened beings and have undergone enhancement, it is like adding wings to a tiger, and is of great help.

"Just now, those two attacks consumed a minimum-grade Black Stone energy stone, equivalent to an elite Black Serpent. This was even with the help of the Origin Clan's rune technology, which improved energy utilization efficiency," Cheng Rui explained.

"One energy stone is enough to save lives. In this way, we can greatly increase the survival rate of all members."

Han Ning had a basic understanding of the parameters of the leather armor, and he was quite satisfied.

This leather armor was merely an experimental product, a byproduct of research.

"Take some people out and try to get everyone wearing this leather armor as quickly as possible. Do you have enough energy crystals in your inventory?"

Han Ning asked Chairman Wu, who was also in charge of logistics, for an answer.

"It's enough for now. We killed several hundred elite black snakes last time. After deducting the energy crystals used for research and rewards these past few days, plus the crystals that Old Zhao and the others brought back from their recent hunt, we still have more than two hundred left. That should last us a while longer," Chairman Wu replied.

"Okay, keep it up. Lao Wu, please compile a list of who contributed the most to this research, who put in the most effort, and who slacked off. Remember all of them, and we'll distribute the rewards at the end of the month."

Rewards are essential to boosting everyone's enthusiasm.

“No problem!” Chairman Wu replied.

Han Ning walked out of the laboratory at lunchtime.

The open space where people usually gather to chat.

"Gurgle~~ Buzz buzz buzz~"

A plump bee with short, golden hair, looking quite adorable, wore a pink apron around its abdomen and a face mask.

It stands upright, wielding the enormous spatula that would normally require a strong adult to use both hands to move.

He was intently stirring a large pot of fragrant fried rice with eggs.

Around it, a group of logistics staff gathered, waiting to be assigned tasks, whispering among themselves.

"Wow, this... bees can cook? This is the first time I've ever seen an insect that can cook!"

"Old Xu, you know what, this big, furry, fat bee made pretty delicious fried rice. I'm hungry..."

A middle-aged man carrying a shovel smelled the aroma of rice wafting from the iron pot, sniffed, and couldn't help but swallow. He then said to his companion beside him.

"What fat bee? I just asked. It's a friend of the boss, a very rare bear bee."

The middle-aged man, referred to as Old Xu, squinted as he watched the treasure-hunting bumblebee stirring the dishes.