This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 227 New Teammates?
Having finally managed to travel north, Nie Weiyang must make the most of his time to explore as many known pre-civilized city ruins and refuges in the surrounding area as possible, and gather as much information as possible.

During this period, he acted as the second administrator on several occasions, but left no eyewitness records whatsoever.

Although Pingdu sought to communicate with the second administrator, the team of psychologists continued to analyze Nie Weiyang's every move, both in his overt and covert identities. Therefore, they believed the time was not yet right.

However, thanks to the full efforts of Pingdu and Gushi, the work of linking shelters within Huaxia is progressing rapidly.

In just one month, nearly half of the shelters in mainland China have been brought under the management network, with the remaining shelters mainly hampered by inefficient information transmission.

In the present world, apart from relying on biological messengers, such as humans and domesticated mutated animals, to transmit physical information, any signal transmission that conforms to the definition of a message—mainly electromagnetic waves—will inevitably infiltrate the Netherworld and be captured by the Glory Space Station there.

This protection mechanism safeguards the planet from external detection while also completely blocking long-distance real-time communication within it.

Want to send a message? The Netherworld blocks your way.

Want to bypass the Netherworld? First, it's almost impossible technically, and second, the risk is extremely high—what if the signal manages to slip through an unknown loophole in the planetary barrier and attract real extraterrestrial enemies?
This has truly created a vicious cycle, a situation where one approach leads to two dead ends. The only way to break this cycle is to fully connect the global shelter network and fully activate the planetary defense and management system.

The authorities in Hirado are clearly aware of this, and related preparations have been proceeding intensively.

As Nie Weiyang was deep in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of wings cutting through the air.

A mutated falcon with metallic feathers swooped down and landed precisely on a branch not far in front of him, a small letter tube attached to its sharp talons.

The falcon's golden eyes were fixed on him, its gaze unwavering, clearly directed at him. This piqued Nie Weiyang's curiosity, so he stepped forward, took down the letter tube, and pulled out a thin but sturdy piece of animal skin paper.

The handwriting above is vigorous and powerful, and it was actually written with charcoal:
[To my esteemed friend Nie: I heard you have arrived in Pingdu and have been looking for me for many days. I was previously ordered to go out and investigate the 'Withered and Flourishing Forest' and only returned after a month. I was overjoyed to hear of you. If you have some free time, we can meet at the 'Listening to the Pine Pavilion' in the western district.]
-
Bertrand Russell

Nie Weiyang: "……………………"

It was Russell, one of the teammates he'd been searching for, a powerful Druid variant, the 'Nature's Caller.' The latter was righteous, kind, and a reliable friend and comrade. In the previous playthrough, he primarily belonged to the agricultural sector, but occasionally participated in field missions. He had teamed up with him a few times as an assassin…

But... uh...

...Why does this person's accent sound so strange now?
……

Meanwhile, on the mountain in the western part of Pingdu, a "choke!!" sound rang out as a tall, burly man plucked a leaf and wiped his nose.

"The letter should have arrived by now, let me see..."

He rolled his one gold and one green eye, his gaze vacant, his consciousness instantly traversing a vast distance, landing on the falcon far away in the wilderness forest.

The falcon blinked its golden eyes, then turned its gaze to the dark forest and saw Nie Weiyang.

Nie Weiyang stared at the piece of animal skin, his lips twitching slightly.

This overly affected, classical Chinese tone made it hard for him to connect it with the image of the... sunny, multi-talented, and burly man in his memory who could transform into a bear and break boulders with his bare hands...

But just as he was pondering this strange contrast, the golden eyes of the falcon on the branch flickered very subtly.

An indescribable scrutinizing gaze flashed by, so quickly it was almost an illusion.

Nie Weiyang raised an eyebrow. Without making a sound, he carefully folded the parchment, then looked up at the falcon again.

The falcon tilted its head, let out a few clear calls, and even preened the feathers on its wings with its beak, looking exactly like a real bird of prey, its acting skills were truly extraordinary.

Nie Weiyang: “?”

Still pretending?

Nie Weiyang raised his other eyebrow as well. A mischievous glint appeared in his eyes, and he slowly stepped forward, his face displaying just the right amount of curiosity, as he slowly reached out his hand.

His target was the bird's head, which looked extremely hard.

The falcon's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, as if engaged in a fierce internal struggle, but ultimately it did not dodge. Nie Weiyang's fingers landed on the falcon's head and gently stroked it twice.

The feathers were cool and smooth, with a metallic texture and a strange feel—they were a bit taut.

"Thank you for your hard work." Nie Weiyang said casually, as if he were genuinely thanking an animal messenger.

At the same time, his powerful mental energy spread silently, and he accurately caught a plump beetle peeking out from a gap in the tree trunk next to him, pinching it and handing it to the falcon's beak.

His movements were incredibly natural, as if he were just a passerby feeding wild animals out of kindness.

Falcon: "..."

Those golden bird eyes were fixed on the worm still wriggling near its beak, and the pupils seemed to dilate slightly.

It abruptly turned its head away in disgust.

"Don't you like it?" Nie Weiyang feigned doubt and readily threw away the unfortunate beetle.

The telekinetic power was activated again. This time, there was a rustling sound in the grass not far away, and a grayish-brown mouse was lifted by its tail and brought to the falcon by an invisible force, its limbs still flapping wildly in the air.

Falcon: "…………"

It flapped its wings violently twice, creating a gust of wind, clearly expressing its refusal, and even jumped to the side twice.

Nie Weiyang looked thoughtful. He tossed the mouse aside again and casually glanced at the sky. Just then, a bird the size of a sparrow, with brightly colored plumage, was carefree flying across the clearing in the woods.

He recognized the bird; it was one of Russell's best contracted animals.

The telekinetic power precisely captured its target for the third time—the bird, which was not an innocent passerby, froze in mid-air before it could even utter a cry, and was then steadily placed to the falcon's beak.

This time, the falcon's reaction was completely different.

Almost every one of its metallic feathers bristled, and its golden eyes were filled with incredulous accusation. It let out an extremely sharp and short screech, no longer acting, but actually slapping its wing hard!

With a snap, it not only slapped the frozen bird free from Nie Weiyang's feigned mental restraint, but also seemed furious. Without hesitation, it kicked off the branch and shot into the sky like an arrow, flying away without looking back, its speed leaving only a blur.

The rescued bird screamed in panic and then darted into the depths of the dense forest, disappearing from sight.

The forest clearing has returned to silence.

Nie Weiyang stood there, looking in the direction where the falcon had disappeared, raised his hand to touch his chin, and finally nodded affirmatively.

"Hmm." He murmured to himself, his tone relaxed and slightly amused after confirming the news. "It's him."

As for that overly retro letter format?

It's probably a hobby this person has recently developed.

Nie Weiyang shook his head, deciding not to delay any longer. He turned and mounted his motorcycle, heading towards the western district of Pingdu. But after only a few dozen meters, he suddenly stopped and turned to look into the shadows of the nearby jungle.

After a long while, a weary white figure emerged from the jungle with difficulty, panting heavily.

Nie Weiyang: "…………?"

He gazed into the distance, but there were no towns in sight.

Wait, what's this person doing here?!

(End of this chapter)