My Apocalypse Territory

Due to the lack of kitchenware and appliances, many dishes were made in relatively simple ways, yet the table was still abundant with meat dishes. The signature dish was steamed mutant mantis shrimp, a local specialty from the Mutated Sea Beast. It was a delicacy that ordinary survivors only had the chance to indulge in occasionally. Even so, setting such a table was quite costly; had Tang Yu not taken out a handful of Source Crystals, Tang's mom would have been reluctant and unable to buy so many ingredients.

Soon, the aunt's family and the uncle's family arrived.

The narrow room was crowded with people, but everyone's face was bright with smiles.

The aunt's family also lived in the West No. 5 Community. The family of four, besides the two elders, included a short cousin and a younger cousin of only five or six, who was still very much a mischievous child.

The uncle's family had a better life because the cousin had joined the military and was allocated a hundred-square-meter suite.

Tang Yu knew that it was the mutual help between the three families, particularly the cousin's solid position in the military, that allowed for a slightly decent life in this difficult apocalypse.

Tang Yu turned his head to look at his cousin sitting beside him.

With a resolute face and a buzz cut, his body sitting upright, this was his cousin Tang Yu, their names quite similar. When they were kids and their parents called their names, he often mistook it and caused quite a few laughs.

However, as they grew up, they contacted each other less. Now seeing each other again, both had grown a lot.

While eating, they chatted, and inevitably, Tang Yu was asked how he had come to the Luoxia Sanctuary.

He could only vaguely respond.

His cousin was experienced and knew a lot but did not expose him. Instead, he asked, "Yu, what do you plan to do in the future?"

"Do what?"

"For you to come from Lindong to Luoxia, your strength is needless to say, but you also need to plan your future path well. What kind of career do you plan to pursue? I, your brother, know Luoxia well enough to give you some advice."

His cousin put down his chopsticks and continued, "Awakeners don't struggle to find work, especially the powerful ones, who are sought after by many. Let me first introduce you to a few potential options."

"First is the Mercenary Union. Becoming a mercenary and joining a Mercenary Corps, you should know that being a mercenary offers freedom, the earnings depend entirely on oneself, but the downside, quite obviously, is the danger."

"Secondly, the military. The military recently established the Ancestor Dragon Awakened Special Combat Group and is preparing to recruit more Awakeners. Yu, with your strength, if you join Ancestor Dragon, you will definitely be valued highly. I am also a member of Ancestor Dragon, and personally, I hope you can join Ancestor Dragon, though I feel we should also consider your aunt's opinion..."

Indeed, Tang's mom frowned, "Joining Ancestor Dragon involves what kind of tasks? Is it dangerous?"

The cousin pondered for a moment and said:

"Ancestor Dragon is a combat group entirely composed of Awakeners, tasked with exploration, slaying, protection, and so on. The specific duties vary from squad to squad. There is danger, but military operations are meticulous, and the risks are much lower than those of mercenaries. The benefits are good, and you get the latest equipment first. The downside is you need to follow orders, so seeking freedom is out of the question..."

Before the cousin could finish, he was promptly rejected by Tang's mom.

Tang Yu couldn't help but smile wryly; he had yet to express his opinion, even considering taking his parents away, but he couldn't find the right moment to speak up.

Parents are always like this, not necessarily expecting their children to achieve a great career, but safety and health are essential.

The cousin continued:

"Awakeners have strong power, so labor jobs can also provide decent income, but of course… with your strength, Yu, you'd surely consider it beneath you. Besides these, there's also the Martial Arts Hall and accepting special contracts."

"Special contracts usually involve being a long-term guard for wealthy people. In Luoxia, it's not rare to find people with plenty of Source Crystals but insufficient strength. However, I don't recommend this line of work for you. From what I understand, the special contract industry is quite messy, and there are ongoing plans to clean it up."

"Another option is the Martial Arts Hall, which is a rather unique force, different from the Mercenary Corps and Ancestor Dragon. It doesn't require frequent outdoor activities, as it focuses on teaching martial arts or combat skills. Occasionally, the Martial Arts Hall organizes outdoor training events where students fight Demonized Beasts. At those times, guards are needed to ensure safety... This is also why the Martial Arts Hall recruits Awakeners."

From this description, the work at the Martial Arts Hall seemed quite safe.

The students of the Martial Arts Hall were mostly not very strong. Their so-called "wilderness training" was just a game of playing tag with low-level Demonized Beasts. For Tang Yu, it was not even worth mentioning as dangerous... ahem!

Tang Yu shook his head and suddenly realized he had been led astray, even comparing the pros and cons of various development paths of Awakeners.

After all, he was Tang "No Shortage of Money" with experts under his command and an income of millions a month, the Great Lord Yu. Why would he need a job?

However, he hadn't figured out how to explain this yet, so he could only maintain a smile.

His smile showed a hint of helplessness.

At that time, across the table, his cousin Chen Xiaojia was chewing her food, with cheeks puffed out, mumbling unclearly, "Martial Hall is good, fat cut... cough cough," she swallowed her food, "Cousin, why don't you join our Zhentian Martial Arts Hall? I'm studying there right now."

"Let's not talk about this for now, but," Tang Yu looked puzzled, "can you actually learn anything worthwhile in the Martial Arts Hall? Real Awakeners should all have emerged from wilderness battles, shouldn't they?"

"Fighting in the wilderness is about gaining combat experience, while in the Martial Arts Hall, it's about learning combat techniques. Those Martial Arts Halls are not like the ones before the apocalypse; many have real substance." The cousin fully took on the role of an explainer, "Actually, Ancestor Dragon also has coaches who impart real skills, but due to confidentiality rules, I can't disclose too much. I can't speak for small Martial Arts Halls, but the large ones are quite official."

Cousin Chen Xiaojia nodded like a pecking chicken.

Taking over her cousin's words, she said, "Not only that, not everyone can go to the Martial Arts Hall. One needs to get a membership card and pay expensive fees to train there. Of course, for some talented students, the Martial Arts Hall reduces or even waives the fees, like in my case."

She wore a proud look like that of a white swan, "I now enjoy the treatment of a high-level member, and it's completely free, but in the future, once I reach the third layer of Awakening, I will need to work for the Martial Arts Hall, taking on a role as a guard..."

Well, this was akin to a company commissioning a university to train, and the student signing a work contract with the company for after graduation.

Tang Yu thought to himself.

This was the Martial Arts Hall investing in advance, it seemed his young cousin possessed exceptional talent.

Sure enough...

The cousin stretched out her delicate palm, in which lay a yellow-black seed. In the next moment, a tender green sprout broke through at a visibly fast pace and grew rapidly.

"This is my Special Ability; I can make plants grow quickly and even control the plants that grow. Even Brother Yu doesn't have a Special Ability."

She widened her eyes at Tang Yu, "Brother Yu, you have reached the Fourth Layer by now, have you got any Special Abilities?"

Chen Xiaojia was newly Awakened and had only First Layer strength, but she could clearly perceive the strength of other Awakeners.

Just like now, sitting to her front and side, Tang Yu's presence was like a bonfire in the night, burning vigorously, even more powerful than Brother Yu, who was only at the third layer of Awakening.

—This was after Tang Yu had accepted the legacy of the Demon Swordsmen profession, combining its unique traits to develop a Breath Simulation Technique for himself, which sometimes proved quite effective.

Like now, if he had no Awakener aura and couldn't release it, explanations would definitely become a hassle, and it seemed very troublesome.

Tang Yu touched his nose, "I do have one, but my ability is rather special."

"Special? What type is it, Elemental Series, Transformation Series, Spiritual Series, Solidification Series, or Special Series?"

"This... should be Special Series, maybe it can be called Architecture Series."

Tang Yu spoke uncertainly.