"Tao Yu?"
Zhang Wei looked at the figure crawling over with some surprise; he hadn't expected to encounter Tao Yu here.
He had invited Tao Yu when they were at the dojo, but he was politely declined.
"Yeah, are you guys here to advocate for those three unlucky fellows?"
Tao Yu nodded at Zhang Wei in greeting, then glanced over the group.
"Right, they sought help at our doorstep; we couldn't just ignore them."
Lin Chao also saw Tao Yu and, although Tao Yu was just standing there casually, he somehow exerted a pressure that felt quite palpable.
Being someone with Grade B "Intuition," his sensing of danger was extremely accurate.
An Outsider? A newcomer who had just awakened talents recently?
Quite strong...
Still, even so, Lin Chao calmly stood in front of everyone.
Tao Yu looked at him somewhat unexpectedly, then pondered for a moment before saying,
"Chaoyang Society?"
"You've heard of our club?"
Lin Chao's eyes lit up, and then he began to speak enthusiastically,
"Our club is committed to mutual help and support in the Abyss, gathering friends and brethren of like minds. Brother, would you like to join us?"
Looking at Lin Chao's passionate demeanor, Tao Yu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He only knew about the club because of his younger brother, Tao Shi, and from what information he had, it indeed seemed to be an organization made up of passionate youths, apparently formed because the club president had a high talent and strong abilities, sheltering a group of people.
However, as someone who'd been a corporate serf in his previous life, his edges smoothed by society, Tao Yu wouldn't easily believe in it—after all, the scandals of environmental organizations and animal protection groups were well known in his past life.
But judging by deeds rather than intentions, at least based on what he knew, the Chaoyang Society was indeed doing what it could to help others.
If considering only the person speaking before him, Tao Yu's "Spirit Perception" could sense a genuine sincerity in the other's words.
An upbeat, enthusiastic young man...
"No interest."
The straightforward reply didn't seem to embarrass Lin Chao; he appeared to be used to it.
At this moment, Zhang Wei stepped in to smooth things over,
"This is Tao Yu. Tao Yu has Grade A 'Dynamic Vision' and is also a partner, definitely one of the top experts in the new Development Zone."
After briefly introducing Tao Yu, he turned back to Tao Yu and said,
"Tao Yu, this is Brother Chao, with Grade B 'Intuition.' The young master of the Suns personally invited him, but Brother Chao still chose to develop a branch of the club in the new Development Zone. This is his sister, Lin Xue, with Grade B 'Instinct,' and this is our club member, Tom, with Grade C- 'Willpower.'"
If that were the case, it would be somewhat troublesome, but since he had already absorbed it, he couldn't spit it out—and had no intention to!
Pushing aside his concerns, Tao Yu also readied his assault rifle again.
"I don't know if a Pioneer specifically brought them here, or if there's a problem with the barrier, but either way, it's nothing good."
The members of the Chaoyang Society, who seemed to have already had dealings with the aliens, also picked up their weapons with grave expressions.
At the same time, Tao Yu also picked up the walkie-talkie and informed Jack's side,
"Be on guard, the creatures from the plains I mentioned earlier have arrived. They are quite troublesome. When you get back to the gathering area, make sure the defenses are set up and watch the doors and windows."
Tao Yu also felt somewhat cursed in his heart; his Corpse Refinement project had just begun.
The lowest spec version would take seven days, and after completion, there would still be opportunities to complete the forty-nine-day and eighty-one-day augmentations. But if even the seven-day process was interrupted, then it would all be for nothing.
However, if this was due to him absorbing the Heart of the World, then no one else could be blamed for the occurrences.
"Damn it, it's all because of these aliens. I'm just an Outsider mudleg, working diligently to finally earn some benefits, and now you come to harm me."
Tao Yu muttered in his heart, eyeing the aliens that kept drawing closer, and gripped the handle of his gun tightly.
If the aliens were only looking for meat to eat, they shouldn't be so picky as to ignore the zombies and seek them out directly. Are they looking for hosts to incubate?
Because of his concern for Corpse Refinement, Tao Yu temporarily suppressed the idea of hanging an alien on a hook and taking it back to locate its nest. He turned to the members of the Chaoyang Society and said,
"Will you join us in defending the gathering area, or do you plan to leave first?"
"Let's do it together. The number of aliens that came over shouldn't be large, it's very likely that they were brought here by one of the Pioneers."
Lin Chao, lacking the perspective of Tao Yu having absorbed the Heart of the World, based his conjecture on the information he had, which largely pointed to the likelihood of Pioneers bringing the aliens, especially since there was a rewarding task for breeding aliens.
"Alright, you go first via the cableway, I'm going to try and catch an alien myself," Tao Yu said, recalling his "Riding" skill. After using the walkie-talkie to remind Jack's side, he quickly headed in the opposite direction, toward the arrival path of the aliens.
"Then you three go ahead. I'll go and provide some cover," Lin Chao decided almost without a second thought, causing Lin Xue to pout,
"It's just a few of them, there's no real threat..."
But complaints aside, in a situation like this, she obediently followed her brother's orders and was the first to use the rope to climb towards the other side.
Zhang Wei and Tom also followed closely behind her.
Tao Yu, who had already departed and climbed over a small alley, glanced back at Lin Chao who had voluntarily followed. He simply raised an eyebrow and said nothing more.
Such character traits were exceedingly rare among Pioneers, particularly those from the Development Zone.
At least so far, this was Tao Yu's first encounter with such a person.
Jack used to be part of the CIA's task force, so while he had a sense of justice, he also had his own subtlety and principles for handling things.
But Lin Chao, it felt, relied more on the zeal of youth...
However, people are creatures capable of change, and Tao Yu wouldn't immediately solidify his initial good impression into a definitive assessment, but at least for now, interacting with him seemed not a bad idea.
"I hope you can always maintain such a pure heart..."