My Apocalypse Territory

The square-faced big man and his companions first returned to the hotel, where they put on the new form-fitting combat uniforms they had acquired before layering their previous clothes on top.

Territory production offered two types of standard combat uniforms, one form-fitting and one not.

The loose combat uniforms had superior defense, primarily in terms of thickness and hardness, while the form-fitting ones, designed to be worn close to the body like underwear, offered slightly less defense. However, they allowed for an additional layer of protective gear to be worn over them. It was debatable which was superior.

As for Awakeners who wore both the form-fitting combat suits and layered regular ones over them... there were a few, but not many. Even the regular combat suits were relatively snug, and this way of dressing affected mobility.

Only MT Awakeners, tasked with withstanding attacks from Demonized Beasts and donned in armor, might wear a set of form-fitting combat suits underneath.

Considering they still had quite a journey ahead, potentially passing through multiple sanctuaries, the group thought wearing the sleek, sci-fi-styled black combat suits would be too conspicuous.

The form-fitting suits served as inner armor, and once the outer gear was on, it wouldn't be noticeable.

...

...

Fully equipped, the square-faced big man and his pals followed the signs to the front of the adventurer guild.

The adventurer guild had also moved from the villa area to the commercial district, and compared to the two- or three-story buildings around, the guild's large structure appeared even more imposing and spectacular.

The spacious and grand gate, the intricately carved columns on either side, the statues so lifelike...

Especially the big characters above the main entrance spelling out "adventurer guild," when the square-faced group took a closer look, it was as if those dragon and phoenix-like letters actually came to life, turning into dragons and phoenixes about to pounce on them.

The group couldn't help but step back, deeply shocked.

Recovering their composure, the square-faced big man sighed and looked around.

When they first came to Green Shadow Sanctuary, they hadn't seen many Awakeners, mostly members of the Patrol Team dressed in black combat uniforms. But now, they noticed the open space in front of the adventurer guild was crowded with Awakeners.

Some were shouting, leaving them gaping in amazement.

"Search for material in Anlin County—any teams wanting to join?"

"Hunting the Storm Giant Bear—already have a ranged gunman, ability user, and nimble Awakener, now missing one MT. Strength must be third-layer Awakening or higher, payment negotiable."

"Europa Adventure Group recruiting—our two-star medium-sized adventure group is full of points and ready to upgrade at any time. Two spots open, ability users preferred, beautiful... talented beauties especially, come sign up. Escape poverty and join Europa, today's the day!"

The shouting Awakeners around them were quite powerful, with many at the third and fourth layer, and even some merchants seeking to purchase rune weapons at high prices, seemingly ignored by all.

The square-faced man and his companions were confused for a moment, unsure where to start.

At that moment, noise came from a distance, with muffled voices saying "Fight's about to start," "There's a spectacle to watch," and the like.

The square-faced man saw that even the Awakeners who had been yelling in front of the guild building dropped what they were doing and rushed toward where the noise came from.

After a moment's hesitation, the group followed suit.

Beyond the adventurer guild, this area edged closer to the commercial district, near the sanctuary's entrance.

At this time, quite a few people had gathered ahead, including Awakeners and ordinary survivors. The square-faced big man stood at a distance watching for a while and understood that two Awakeners had gotten into a conflict.

"Surely they won't really fight, will they?" he whispered, his teammates also looked perplexed, not understanding why so many people seemed eager to watch a commotion.

"I bet they'll still have to fight."

A voice rich in magnetism came from beside him, and the square-faced man turned his head to see a sturdy man dressed in a black combat uniform, who had unknowingly appeared at his side.

Both being Fifth Tier Awakeners, the other's aura was even more profound, seemingly having reached the Fifth Tier Peak.

The Square-faced Captain didn't dare to ignore him and was also very curious about the situation, "How can they fight, the Sanctuary shouldn't just allow Awakeners to battle at will, should they?"

He had previously destroyed a tree and was required to compensate ten units of Source Crystal; a fight between two not so weak Awakeners could easily damage the surrounding environment and buildings.

Green Shadow was also a very orderly Sanctuary, just like the large Sanctuaries, where fighting within the Sanctuary's territory was generally prohibited.

"Certainly, any form of battle or destruction is forbidden inside the Sanctuary, so that's why the two are only cursing at each other instead of fighting. Look," the sturdy man Zhou Jianhong pointed not far from the bickering pair, "as soon as they start fighting, they'll immediately be taken down. If it's minor, they'll compensate with Source Crystals, but if it's serious..."

He shook his head, not saying more.

The Square-faced Captain's team followed his gesture and nearly popped their eyes out, "Is that, is that... a robot?"

Two figures standing over two meters tall, looking like miniature mechs, were standing there, surrounded by several round, iron-clad objects.

"More or less." Zhou Jianhong continued, "Those things are known as Puppets and are the work of the Sanctuary Director; they're not to be underestimated."

"The round ones are basic Puppets, which can be exchanged at the adventurer guild, and those humanoid ones are called Fighter Puppets. Fighter Puppets are even more powerful, roughly equivalent to an Awakener at the third layer. It's more troublesome when multiple Puppets work together."

"Although with our strength, one-on-one, or even three against one, we can deal with Fighter Puppets. But one against ten, or even one against a hundred, the result is not hard to imagine."

"It's said that there are even more powerful Puppets, and Puppets are only a part of Director Tang's strength."

This explanation enlightened the Square-faced Captain's team about the strength of the authority in Green Shadow Sanctuary; the thought of an overwhelming number of Puppets charging at them turned their faces pale.

The Square-faced Captain gave Zhou Jianhong a respectful fist-hug, and after a good chat, they learned quite a bit about each other.

But the doubt in the Square-faced Captain's heart remained unresolved.

Understanding his confusion, Zhou Jianhong continued, "Here, they're unlikely to break out into a fight, but as soon as they step onto the Martial Arts Arena, anything goes."

"Martial Arts Arena?"

"That's the designated battle area established by the Sanctuary; only there is fighting allowed. Of course, stepping onto the Martial Arts Arena is voluntary; if someone doesn't want to, no one can force them. So, as long as you're inside the Sanctuary and haven't committed any offenses, it's safe."

After hearing this, the Square-faced Captain nodded, but then looked toward the conflicting duo and asked back, "Those two, one Third Layer and one Fourth Layer, the Third Layer Awakener has more sense and surely would never agree to the Fourth Layer's challenge, right? After all, the gap in their strength is obvious at a glance."

Both Awakeners, regardless of strength, had a fierce presence, and the weapons they wielded still had congealed blood on them; experience and ruthlessness seemed to be about the same for both, so it wasn't like one was a combat novice.

However, the difference in their aura was very noticeable.

Yet, Zhou Jianhong shook his head, "Do you think that the Fourth Layer Awakener is bound to win? I don't think it's necessarily the case. Here in Green Shadow, the assessment of one's strength is not solely based on the tier of Awakening."