Chapter 253: Chapter 225: The Inferred Superpower! (4000 Words!)

Who is the “big brother” he’s talking about?

“Is your big brother very strong?” Xu Xin crouched down, looked at him, and said softly, “Could it be that your big brother is Zhang Daoguang?”

Xu Xin wouldn’t be surprised if Zhang Daoguang, as the top-ranked individual in Area 187, possessed some special abilities. If the “big brother” this man mentioned is Zhang Daoguang, then it wouldn’t be surprising that such a weak person has this peculiar treehouse ballista.

“How… how do you know our area’s leader’s name! Are you from the same area?” The man’s eyes suddenly lit up, then he roared angrily, “Since we’re from the same area, why are you hindering me! We are comrades! This woman is from the treehouse next door; she’s from Area 188! Quickly grab her!”

Xu Xin stood up to avoid his spraying spittle, feeling exasperated.

He had never seen such a foolish person.

Such a foolish person could not be a strong contender in the area; perhaps the “big brother” he mentioned was the person Xu Xin was looking for.

However, since he called Zhang Daoguang the area’s leader, it indicated that Zhang Daoguang was not the “big brother” he was referring to.

Xu Xin had been considering what kind of people to recruit into his treehouse protection zone and what they should do.

His abilities were quite special, whether as an artist or an alchemist, things that others couldn’t replicate. Recruiting ordinary survivors wouldn’t be of much help to him.

Therefore, after thinking about it, he decided that his goal was to conquer those strong individuals with special abilities from other areas, transplant them to his protection zone, and make them his subordinates, subject to his control and restrictions.

Actually, this was why he had just discussed with Li Wenxi about collaborating to subdue him, instead of killing this man outright. If he possessed any special abilities, at least they should learn more before taking any action.

Although Phase Two of survival currently seemed as calm as dead water, danger and disaster could occur anytime. He must speed up his progress, quickly boosting his own strength.

At this stage, their area’s top strength was actually already reaching saturation. There were no fixed activities in Phase Two, so acquiring new abilities might be much more challenging than in Phase One. Their [Explorers] might not acquire any new skills for a long time.

Even though his alchemical concoctions were improving everyone’s personal strength, personal prowess wouldn’t mean much unless it reached the level of someone like Wen Guixin, who could clear vine and ant swarms quickly. Otherwise, it didn’t contribute much to the team.

Currently, Xu Xin’s personal strength was formidable; there weren’t many survivors who could surpass him. Yet, he still had to act cautiously in front of such a ballista-ridden treehouse.

Not to mention the Lake Giant Python, Blood Pattern Giant, and the underground massive pangolins he might face later. Personal strength might just be laughable in front of such entities.

Thus, besides working together to cultivate and develop the group, expanding new abilities and technologies was urgently needed.

Imagine Area 188 as a country ready to rise, where ordinary survivors are the people, and strong individuals with technical skills are akin to top scientists.

A country cannot lose its people, nor can it lack scientists and new technologies. Otherwise, when disaster strikes, there’s nothing they could do.

However, the person before him was clearly not the one he was looking for.

It appeared he didn’t even have a watch on his wrist, implying he was not even ranked within the top hundred during the jungle exploration activities if he wasn’t merely not wearing it.

Seeing the remarkable expressions on the three before him, the man finally understood, clutching his scratched leg, trembling and saying, “You all… you all are from Area 188?”

“What do you think?” Li Wenxi replied irritably.

Li Wenxi and Qi Xuefei were speechless too, especially Qi Xuefei, who never imagined she’d be toyed with by such a person for over an hour. It was utterly humiliating.

The man swallowed hard, his face showing fear, “My… my brother is strong, you can’t kill me, or else…”

Xu Xin crouched down again, asking calmly, “The big brother you mentioned, who is he?”

“My… my big brother is…” Before the man finished speaking, he suddenly swung a punch at Xu Xin’s face.

Xu Xin immediately raised his hand, effortlessly catching the punch.

Although the man seemed quite slim, his strength was considerable, far exceeding the average strength of a normal adult male. He must have enhanced his strength several times in this world to reach this level.

But even so, in front of Xu Xin now, his strength was no greater than that of a newborn baby.

Xu Xin started applying pressure to his fist.

“Ah–! Ah–! Let go! Let go, damn it–!” The man screamed in anguish.

Xu Xin felt the man’s fist deforming in his palm, heard his bones cracking, and with the increase in pressure and more agonized screams, he heard the sound of bones breaking continuously in his palm.

Xu Xin released his grip, and the man immediately pulled back, clutching his chest, curling into a ball, screaming in agony on the ground.

Truth be told, the skinny man’s prior choice wasn’t wrong.