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

Su Mu stared at the numbers on the panel and took a deep breath.

123 points of Strength. 59 points of Agility. 87 points of Constitution.

What does this mean? The blue-quality giant axe-wielder he previously fought had 72 strength, 65 constitution, and 28 agility. Now, his attributes completely overwhelm that monster. If he encountered an opponent of that level again now, he wouldn't even need a pistol; one shot would be enough.

As for meeting other people.

His current attribute points are seven times that of a normal level 1.

Even at level 2, it is 5 times that.

Moreover, and most importantly, this is the overall attribute. If we consider the effective attributes, it is more than 10 times better, which is a complete crushing defeat.

Once he switches to his second profession, and once he makes full use of the remaining blood ginseng...

"No, I can't let myself get carried away..."

Su Mu quickly suppressed the smugness in his heart.

Because who knows what other variables might occur in this world.

After a long while, Su Mu regained his composure.

Su Mu turned off the control panel, leaned against the wall, and looked at the sky outside the window as it gradually brightened.

He was about to close his eyes and rest for a while when suddenly...

The cold, mechanical sound echoed throughout the cable.

[Announcement for Area 886 (Cable Number)]

We are approaching Ash City.

The cable car will be shut down for 72 hours upon arrival, during which time all survivors will be forcibly dropped into the city.

Please prepare.

The cold, mechanical sound echoed throughout the cable, each word like a nail hammered into everyone's eardrums.

Su Mu frowned slightly.

Forced delivery?

It wasn't that he was afraid to enter the city to search for supplies... To him, the city meant richer resources, higher-level monsters, and a denser distribution of treasure chests, which was actually a good thing.

But the word "forced" made him vaguely sense something unusual.

The rules of this world are never arbitrary.

Since everyone is being forced to enter that place called "Ash City," it means... there must be something waiting for them in that city.

Or rather, there's something they need to trigger.

Su Mu leaned against the wall, his fingers tapping lightly on the spear, his mind rapidly calculating various possibilities.

But he didn't think about it any further.

After all, he'd only been in this world for four days, and knew far too little; all his analyses were just guesses. Instead of letting his imagination run wild, he should observe the reactions of others.

He opened the chat channel.

The news has exploded, and the screen is scrolling so fast that it's almost impossible to see clearly.

"Holy crap? Forced deployment? I don't want to go down there! The city is full of monsters!"

"Can I refuse? I don't want to die!"

"Oh no, I'm doomed. I haven't even reached level one yet. Going down there will just mean I'm feeding the enemy..."

"Calm down! Everyone, calm down! The announcement said 'after arrival,' and we haven't arrived yet. We still have time to prepare!"

"Prepare what? I don't even have a decent weapon, what am I supposed to prepare?"

"Is there any expert who can help me? I'm willing to hand over all my supplies!"

Panic, despair, and pleas—a jumble of emotions swirled together on the channel.

However, some people's statements were completely different from the others.

"Forced distribution? Isn't this just the official team giving away freebies?"

An ID named "Zhao Hongyuan" spoke in the channel, his tone tinged with disdain: "The density of resources in the city is more than ten times that of the wilderness. Normally, we wouldn't even dare to go in, but now, they've sent us in directly. For us gifted individuals, this is simply a godsend."

"Exactly!" another ID chimed in. "We're just short of breakthrough runes and class books. Maybe we can get them on this trip."

"We advise ordinary people not to compete with us for resources. Going down there will only lead to your deaths. You might as well find a safe place to hide and wait for the 24 hours to end. Anyway, the announcement only said 'mandatory deployment,' not that you are forced to go and die."

Members of the Talented Ones Guild were talking loudly in the channel, making no attempt to hide their contempt for ordinary people.

Su Mu looked at these messages without expression.

He didn't participate in the discussion. At times like this, nothing he said mattered. A panicked person wouldn't calm down because of his words, and a smug person wouldn't back down because of his reminder.

He continued scrolling down.

Then, he saw Zhou Zhenguo's speech.

"Listen up, everyone. Forced deployment is a done deal, and complaining and panicking won't solve anything. I suggest everyone gather at the south gate of Ash City after landing. We will provide shelter as much as possible, but the number is limited, so it's first come, first served."

When Zhou Zhenguo sent out his message, the channel fell silent for a moment.

"Brother Zhou! You're still here! That's great!"

"I knew Brother Zhou wouldn't abandon us!"

"Brother Zhou, what exactly happened last night? I heard someone on your side was seriously injured..."

"Don't ask so many questions. Brother Zhou told us the meeting point, so just follow his instructions!"

Zhou Zhenguo did not reply to those questions. He simply sent another message:

"Also, a reminder: the people on that cable over there will also be forcibly deployed to the same city. According to yesterday's intelligence, those people... are not friendly towards us. Please be careful and try not to act alone."

The moment this message was sent, the atmosphere in the channel changed instantly.

"Yes! Those foreigners killed many of our people yesterday!"

"Damn it, it makes me so angry! We have people on our side too, why should we be afraid of them?"

"Exactly! If they dare to come, we'll make sure they don't leave alive!"

"Brother Zhou, organize things, let's fight them!"

The sentiment is indignant.

However, Su Mu noticed that Zhao Hongyuan and others from the Talented Individuals Guild hadn't expressed any opinion on the matter. They neither responded to Zhou Zhenguo's call to action nor indicated any intention to deal with foreigners. Their previous comments about a "golden opportunity" remained in the channel, followed by silence.

Su Mu sneered.

He had already experienced Zhao Hongyuan's character before... He was petty, vindictive, and clearly ambitious. In peacetime, such a person would at most be an annoying colleague, but in the apocalypse, someone with a little power would only think about how to expand their own influence. How could they possibly be willing to be used as a pawn by others?

However, at least on the surface, the Talented Ones Guild has also made its own statement.

"We, the Talented Ones Guild, are not to be trifled with either." Zhao Hongyuan finally sent another message. "If those foreigners dare to touch our people, we will naturally not be polite."

This statement was perfectly watertight... It made no promise to protect ordinary people, nor did it refuse to deal with foreigners, leaving plenty of room for maneuver.

Su Mu turned off the channel and stopped watching.

In the end, it's all just talk. Once you actually get to the city, who will help whom and who will harm whom is anyone's guess.

What he cares about most right now is not those people's stance, but how to use today to further improve his own strength.

We'll be entering Ash City tomorrow.

Before that, he needs to reach at least level five.