Over the next little while.
Lin Hui asked a few more questions. Liu Xi could answer some, but there were others she knew nothing about.
Lin Hui committed all this information firmly to memory.
In this unfamiliar apocalypse, knowledge was another kind of power!
Then he suddenly wondered whether his "golden modifier per level" might also be a specialization, one that fell under Spirit Arts.
No!
The thought had barely surfaced before Lin Hui shook his head.
"Golden modifier per level" was a cheat!
That was what the voice from a higher dimension had told him when he obtained the Golden Modifier per Level.
Besides, both Liu Xi and Su Qingqian had said that awakening a specialization increased Mental Strength, while his had always stayed at 5, the level of an ordinary person.
Liu Xi and Su Qingqian, for instance, were both tier 1 players with specializations, and each had 25 Mental Strength.
So how exactly did you awaken a specialization?
He had asked Liu Xi, but she did not know either.
It could suddenly awaken after waking up, in the middle of a meal, or even while spacing out.
In short, it all came down to luck!
Putting those thoughts aside, Lin Hui raised his head and looked into Liu Xi's icy eyes, then asked curiously, "By the way, how did you get all this information?"
"This doesn't seem like information one person could gather alone, and nobody has shared it in the regional channel."
Liu Xi parted her red lips and said evenly, "The top guilds exchange intelligence. I used to be the vice president of the Rose Society, so naturally, I had access to it."
"I see." Lin Hui nodded in understanding, then pointed to a pile of alloy behind him. "The information was useful. Those 200 units of high-strength titanium alloy are yours."
Liu Xi breathed a sigh of relief and was about to stand up.
Suddenly, a wave of intense dizziness hit her. Her legs gave way, and she dropped straight to her knees.
"Cough, cough..."
She covered her mouth, her palm smeared with black blood.
"Miss Liu!" Su Qingqian cried, pointing at Liu Xi's left arm. "Your arm..."
Purplish-black blood seeped from the wound on Liu Xi's left arm, where White Thorn had grazed her earlier. The virus had already spread.
"Damn it..."
Liu Xi looked at her wound, a flicker of despair crossing her eyes.
She never thought her luck would be this bad.
Even such a tiny graze had infected her with the virus!
In this apocalypse, where doctors and medicine were scarce, infection with a tier 3 mutant's virus was practically a death sentence.
No, even back in the old world.
An infection from a monster's virus would still have been difficult to cure.
She knew that all too well. Back in the Rose Society, a teammate had been scratched by a zombie. Antibiotics had done nothing, and in the end, they could only watch helplessly as their teammate turned into a zombie.
She refused to accept it.
Was she really going to die here like this?
"Do you want to live?"
A calm voice sounded above her.
Liu Xi raised her head and saw Lin Hui looking down at her, holding a small tube that gave off a pale green glow.
[Potent Antibiotics]
Liu Xi's pupils contracted sharply. That was her lifeline!
"What are your terms?"
She was smart. There was no way he would give away such a rare medicine for free.
"You're a good shot, and you have a clear head."
Lin Hui waved the medicine in his hand.
"I need a sniper. Join my RV."
"I..."
Liu Xi gritted her teeth. "Can you ask for something else? I don't want to depend on someone else."
Back in the old world, she had been a beautiful CEO who commanded the business world. Even in the apocalypse, she was unwilling to serve under someone else and wanted to establish her own guild. That was also the main reason she had left the Rose Society.
"Tsk."
Lin Hui smiled. He was not angry; instead, he looked as though he had expected this all along.
"Then let me put it another way."
"This is a transaction."
"This medicine buys your labor until the 'Cauldron City' mission ends."
"During that time, you'll be my temporary employee, responsible for long-range fire support. Once the 'Trip to Cauldron City' mission is over, I won't stop you if you want to leave!"
"Well? You're not getting a bad deal, are you?"
Liu Xi froze.
A temporary employee?
She looked into Lin Hui's eyes, which seemed far too mature for his age, then glanced at her steadily worsening wound.
If she refused, she would die right now.
If she agreed, she could at least survive until Cauldron City, and might even have a chance to make a comeback.
As a CEO, she understood that calculation perfectly.
"...Deal."
Gritting her teeth, Liu Xi held out a trembling hand.
"Give me the medicine. I'm now your... temporary worker."
Lin Hui smiled in satisfaction and tossed the medicine into her lap.
The reason he had spent a rare medicine to save Liu Xi really was that he valued her abilities. She had spent time in a major guild, knew a lot, was smart, and was a player with firearms specialization...
With all those buffs stacked together, she would definitely be a great help in completing his "Cauldron City" mission.
Besides.
He believed that, in time, Liu Xi would never want to leave his RV.
At that thought, the corners of Lin Hui's mouth lifted.
"Welcome aboard."
"Qingqian, help her into the RV."
Before you continue