The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

Su Mu's gaze fell on the potted plant. A botanist... This was the first time he had ever heard of this profession.

The child holding flowers... Xiao Jiu... looked up, revealing a pale face beneath the brim of his hat, his age impossible to discern. His eyes were dark brown, with large pupils that almost filled their entire sockets, making him look somewhat frightening.

"Using plants in battle," Xiao Jiu said, her voice more mature than Su Mu had expected. It wasn't a child's voice, but rather the hoarse voice of a teenager who had just gone through puberty. "You probably don't understand this now. But for us who live in this world, not only plants, but also animals and ferocious beasts can be utilized as long as we find the right method."

Su Mu nodded thoughtfully. He recalled the eerie plants in the Dark Zone... the Corpse-Eating Vines, the Corrosive Mud, and the two vines he had encountered at the school and in the square. If these plants could be "tamed" or "controlled," they would indeed be a force to be reckoned with.

"What are your code names?" Su Mu asked. He noticed that when Bai Liuxi introduced these people, she didn't use their real names... Lao Wei, Zhao Cheng, A Qi, Xiao Jiu, simple nicknames that sounded like they were just made up on the spot.

Bai Liuxi did not answer the question directly. She took something out of her tactical pouch and handed it to Su Mu.

It looked like a pair of sunglasses, but the lenses were white, not the usual black. The rims were very thin, and the material didn't feel like plastic or metal; it felt more like some kind of ceramic, with fine, flowing patterns on the surface.

"Try wearing it," Bai Liuxi said.

Su Mu took the glasses but didn't put them on immediately. He first held them up to his eyes, looking at the buildings across the street through the white lenses from a distance.

The world seen through the lenses has changed.

The once gray, night-shrouded street transformed into a pale blue, thermally-like image in the lens. The outlines of buildings were simplified into lines and blocks of color, and the temperature distribution of the ground was indicated by different shades of blue. At the edge of the image, several red dots of light moved slowly... not buildings, not clutter, but living things.

"That shows the distribution of monsters in the surrounding area," Bai Liuxi's voice came from the side. "Red dots represent living creatures, size represents size, and brightness represents energy intensity. It can also scan humans and display basic data."

Su Mu put on his glasses.

His vision cleared for a moment, then a series of data streams began to appear on the screen. He turned his head and aimed at Old Wei, who was standing next to him.

Lines of information appeared on the lens:

[Target: Wei Shanhai]

[Affiliation: Great Wind Ash City Garrison - Black Kill Squad]

Combat strength assessment: 278

[Note: Melee defensive type, skilled in shield blocking and battle axe throwing.]

Su Mu then turned to Zhao City.

[Target: Zhao City]

[Affiliation: Great Wind Ash City Garrison - Black Kill Squad]

Combat strength assessment: 312

[Note: Melee agility type, specializing in rapid attacks with Tang sword, extremely high burst damage.]

Ah Qi.

[Target: Ah Qi (name unknown)]

[Affiliation: Great Wind Ash City Garrison - Black Kill Squad]

Combat strength assessment: 185

[Note: Monitoring and support type, specializing in electronic reconnaissance and signal interception.]

Xiao Jiu.

[Target: Xiao Jiu (Name Unknown)]

[Affiliation: Great Wind Ash City Garrison - Black Kill Squad]

Combat strength assessment: 142

[Note: Botanist. Controls plants for combat, reconnaissance, and support. Combat power assessment does not include plant combat strength.]

Su Mu finally looked at Bai Liuxi.

[Target: Bai Liuxi]

[Affiliation: Great Wind Ash City Garrison - Black Kill Squad]

Combat strength assessment: 347

[Note: A melee all-rounder, extremely fast, with a dense combo system. Leader of the Black Kill Squad.]

After reviewing the data, Su Mu turned to Bai Liuxi and asked, "Is this combat strength assessment accurate?"

Bai Liuxi shook her head: "It can only be used as a reference. It's a value calculated based on five dimensions... strength, physique, agility, spirit, perception... It can't assess skills, equipment, combat experience, or on-the-spot adaptability. Someone with a combat power of 300 points might not be able to beat someone with 200 points if their skills are countered."

She paused, then added, "And this stuff isn't very effective for survivors like you who just got off the cable car. You have system dependencies, and a lot of data can't be obtained through scanning. But it's more effective for people living in this world."

Su Mu nodded thoughtfully. He recalled the detector he had seized from the Salvation Guild... that thing had overflowed with data when it tried to detect him, making it impossible to display anything. These glasses, however, could at least scan other people's data, indicating that their detection accuracy was on a completely different level from that device.

"This thing," Su Mu pointed to the glasses, "was it something you made yourself?"

"They're replicas." Bai Liuxi didn't hide anything. "The real originals are in the Seventh World, and you need to exchange them through the system. These are all improved versions of the originals, so the precision is a bit lower, but they're cheap, and everyone can have one."

Su Mu took off his glasses and examined them in his hand. System exchange... He had never seen this term before in the channel, but Bai Liuxi mentioned it so casually, as if it were a matter of course. He silently memorized the term.

"Alright," Bai Liuxi said, abandoning her introductory tone and becoming formal again, "Since you're prepared to assist us, I need to tell you the truth. The target we're dealing with... isn't a monster."

Su Mu frowned slightly.

"It's a person," Bai Liuxi said.

Su Mu's brows furrowed even more.

One of the reasons he cooperated with these people was to farm that level 10 green elite monster, to unlock the experience pool, and to convert the 20 experience bonus into actual levels. Now he's being told that the target isn't the monster, but a person?

He opened his mouth, about to say something, when the communicator vibrated.

Su Mu looked down. It was a message from Lin Yuwei.

"I've been observing these people all along, and their modus operandi doesn't seem like that of bloodthirsty individuals. You can trust them for now. I'm nearby, hiding using some means, so you don't need to worry about me. But you must be careful... I've been targeted by an extremely powerful person, who is very likely the one they're looking for. This team has also been targeted, which is why I haven't been able to leave. If I spot that person, I'll let you know immediately. Killing him would be best; he has treasure on him."

Su Mu stared at the message for a few seconds, then put the communicator away.

His original plan... to kill elite monsters first, then gain experience, and finally rescue Lin Yuwei... has now been completely disrupted.