"Yes, Elder Wang." Gratitude flashed across Chen Fan’s eyes as he proceeded in the direction of Juque City.
Along the way, he passed the Song Family Castle.
This fortress had also turned into a pile of ruins, with broken walls and debris scattered everywhere. Among the wreckage, numerous Fierce Beasts were resting.
Chen Fan did not alarm them. After a moment of thought, he headed towards the Chen Family Fortress.
As expected, the Chen Family Fortress had also been razed to the ground by Fierce Beasts, leaving no trace of its former glory.
Chen Fan couldn’t help but sigh.
Although he expected this result, seeing it with his own eyes still made him feel rueful.
However, the good news was that the people who once lived in the Chen Family Fortress were now in Anshan City, temporarily safe.
But how long this peace could last was unknown.
The next moment, Chen Fan turned and left.
Along the way, he saw numerous flattened camps, and even some cities were under attack by the Beast Tide, with the roar of cannons echoing through the sky.
Chen Fan glanced from a distance and then continued on his way.
At present, the most important thing was to enhance his own strength.
Next was to safeguard Anshan City and eliminate any existing threats.
Only on this basis could he have the capacity to save others.
Over an hour later, he finally arrived at the foot of Juque City.
Unlike before, the atmosphere in Juque City today was tense.
Countless people were lined up in long queues, waiting to enter the city, with discussions breaking out occasionally among the crowd.
"It’s been more than half an hour, and we’ve barely moved. Are we going to be waiting here until nightfall?"
"Just be patient. What else can we do? They certainly don’t lack people."
"Exactly. Even Awakeners have to wait in line to enter the city. I just saw a C-level Awakened causing a scene and getting kicked out."
"What? Even C-level Awakened receive this treatment?"
"What else? With the Beast Tide, even a fool knows to run to the big cities. I heard the management in those three mega-cities is even stricter. Even B-level Awakened have a hard time getting in!"
As Chen Fan listened to the chatter, he walked towards the front of the line.
"Hey, what’s that guy doing?" someone noticed Chen Fan’s actions and exclaimed.
"He’s trying to cut in line!"
"Ha, let him try. I’ve seen plenty like him, and none of them return without being humiliated."
"Exactly, it would be better if he just queued up at the end properly, rather than running back and forth."
Several people gloated, as waiting was boring and they were eager for some entertainment.
Some, however, were skeptical, wondering if this person had some kind of trump card to stride forward so boldly.
Traversing several kilometers of the line, Chen Fan arrived at the city gate.
"What do you want?"
The guard at the checkpoint saw him and angrily scolded, "Don’t you know you have to queue? Get to the back!"
The people in the queue nearby all gave knowing smiles.
Another person who thinks he’s important?
"I live in the city."
Chen Fan said, taking a property deed out of his Spatial Ring.
The guards exchanged glances, a bit surprised.
City residents were indeed allowed to enter and exit freely, though it applied only to individuals. Bringing others in required an investigation.
"Let me see." One of the guards took the deed and, seeing the words "Zijin Garden" on it, nodded slightly.
Indeed, there was such a developer in the city, with a significant background. They had constructed high-end communities, even villa districts.
Anyone living in a villa district was undoubtedly wealthy or important.
The next moment, as he opened the deed and saw it was a villa’s property deed, he was stunned. After verifying it with Chen Fan, the guard immediately stood up and saluted Chen Fan, handing the deed back with both hands while saying, "Mr. Li, welcome back."
This scene left the surrounding crowd in shock and filled their eyes with envy.
Clearly, the seemingly unremarkable man before them had an identity significant enough to drastically change the guard’s attitude.
"Alright."
Chen Fan calmly took back the property deed, "Can I go in now?"
"Of course, of course," the guard nodded repeatedly, "But you need to register on this form."
As if worried about displeasing Chen Fan, he added, "Everyone returning from outside has to register."
Chen Fan nodded, quickly filled out the information, and then, under the gazes of hundreds of people, walked into the city.
"Who is he, to get in so easily?" someone wondered aloud.
"Didn’t you hear? He’s a city resident. If you or I were, we’d already be inside and wouldn’t need to queue."
"Sigh, what’s the use of saying that now? It’s not like I didn’t want to buy property in Juque City. I just couldn’t afford it."
"Yeah."
Echoes of agreement sounded nearby.
Deep down, they were uncertain of what life awaited them in the city, or where they would be settled.
But, no matter how bad it might be, it was better than waiting to die in the small and medium-sized cities, right?
"Luckily, I was prepared."
Chen Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
Without this property deed, he might have been able to get in by calling Han Xu, but it would have entailed more complications. If Han Xu was unavailable, he’d have to wait obediently.
Walking down the street, the city’s atmosphere was somewhat tense, but it was far better than outside.
Many office workers still stood at bus stops, waiting for buses. Some students, dressed in school uniforms, were chatting and laughing without any awareness of the looming crisis.
Chen Fan headed straight for the Awakened Association. As soon as he entered, he heard an excited voice.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Li Ping?" a woman asked, walking up to Chen Fan, her eyes wide.
"Yes, I am. What’s the matter?"
Chen Fan glanced at her.
"Oh, it’s like this," she said, a bit embarrassed, "After you left last time, Chairman Han instructed us to notify him immediately if you returned."
"I see." Chen Fan nodded, "Then take me to him."
"Sure, Mr. Li, please follow me," she smiled.
After bringing Chen Fan to a room, she quickly departed. Soon, rapid footsteps approached.
With a click, the door opened, and Han Xu walked in.
"Brother Li, long time no see."
"Yes."
Chen Fan nodded.
"Haha, Brother Li, you’re as aloof as ever," Han Xu chuckled, then sighed as if talking to himself, "Brother Li must be aware of the Beast Tide outbreak. This time, it’s no small matter. Even Juque City is at risk of falling. If that happens, Yan Country..." He shook his head, "Let’s not speak of such depressing matters."
He smiled again, "Brother Li, you must have had a rewarding trip, right?"
"Not bad."
Chen Fan paused, "I have materials from three Commander-level Fierce Beasts, and the rest are from Elite-level Fierce Beasts."
Han Xu smiled, "No problem. It’s not easy to kill Commander-level Fierce Beasts now. Three is good. How many Elite-level Fierce Beast materials do you have?"
Chen Fan looked at him and slowly said, "Over three thousand."
"What?"
Han Xu was shocked, "Three, over three thousand? Over three thousand Elite-level Fierce Beasts?"