The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 29

Not only that, his skin grew dense blue fish scales, energy-like fins condensed outwards from his elbows, and energy-like webbed feet grew on his feet.

[You are currently under the Fish Gills spell, consuming 0.5 points of spiritual energy per minute.]

"Is this the gill technique? Interesting."

Han Ning looked down at the changes in his hands and feet.

"Snow Biscuit, let's go."

He leaped into the water.

With a gentle sway of its body, it can paddle several meters across the water, which is much faster than running on land.

……

Back at 803, Han Ning unloaded the heavy supplies and, without taking a break, immediately began to sort them out, categorizing and putting all the supplies away neatly.

After doing all that, he subconsciously glanced at the wall clock, which had long since stopped, and estimated the time.

"It's time to go."

He drank some water, ate some chocolate to replenish his energy, and put his raincoat back on.

The rain seemed to be heavier than in the morning, and the sky was even darker.

Muddy water surged through the city ruins, carrying even more floating debris, and some low-rise buildings were completely submerged.

The Sunshine Garden residential area wasn't too far from their own. With the Fish Gill Technique moving at full speed, a relatively dense residential area came into view in less than ten minutes.

The gate to the residential area had long been washed away by the flood, leaving only the twisted metal frame half-submerged in water.

The original guard booth at the entrance is now reduced to a crooked concrete roof, mostly submerged, protruding above the water.

Han Ning looked ahead.

On the wet, cold roof of the security booth, two figures, one large and one small, were huddled together.

It was Old Xu and a little girl who was completely wrapped up.

He held an umbrella in one hand and tightly hugged the little girl with the other. He had a hiking backpack on his back and a small bundle wrapped in a waterproof cloth next to him, which clearly contained the supplies he had been allocated.

The wind and rain were fierce, and the umbrella could not completely block the rain from blowing in.

The rain kept pelting him, making his face turn pale and his lips turn purplish-black from the cold. His body trembled slightly uncontrollably.

When Han Ning and Xue Bing broke through the water and appeared near the guard post, Lao Xu suddenly looked up.

A bright light suddenly burst forth in those tired eyes, as if they had finally seen a lighthouse in the abyss of despair.

He shielded his daughter with his own body, trying to minimize her exposure to the rain.

At the same time, he waved to Han Ning, who was swimming quickly towards him.

Chapter 31 Settling In (Please continue reading)

Han Ning swung his body a few times, easily swimming to the guard booth, and then quickly vaulted onto the roof.

Old Xu was hugging the little girl in his arms tighter when he looked up and met Han Ning's eyes covered with transparent membranes and his face with fish gills. He visibly gasped for breath.

He asked cautiously:

"benefactor?"

"it's me."

Han Ning nodded, his gaze falling on the little girl in Lao Xu's arms.

The little girl was about five or six years old, with two round little buns tied in her hair.

She was wrapped in an adult raincoat that was clearly several sizes too big, with only her dark, bright eyes showing.

Her hair was slightly damp from the rain and stuck to her forehead, but her face was clean and tidy, clearly the result of being a child carefully cared for by her parents.

I don't know if it's because I haven't eaten for a long time, but I look very weak and my cheeks are a little swollen.

Seeing Han Ning's strange appearance, she shrank back behind her father in fear.

"Yinyin, don't be afraid, he is your father's benefactor."

Old Xu patted his daughter on the back and brought her in front of him, saying, "Quick, call him uncle."

Despite her fear, Xu Yinyin obediently called out, "Uncle!"

"Um, what's your name?"

Han Ning smiled, his tone unconsciously softening.

“Xu Yinyin, the Yinyin of Yinyin Grassland!” Xu Yinyin said crisply.

"Hello."

Han Ning patted her head, then straightened up, pointed to Xuebing lying next to the security booth, and said to Lao Xu,

"Let's go. Lie on its back and let Yinyin hug you and lie on your back."

"I'll help you with your luggage."

"it is good."

Looking at the ferocious appearance of the snow cake, Lao Xu felt uneasy but had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

Throughout the journey, Lao Xu was very nervous, looking extremely anxious, his body clinging tightly to the snow cake like an octopus.

The little girl, Xu Yinyin, was quite brave. She stared wide-eyed at her surroundings.

She was initially a little scared, but as she felt the city ruins rushing past on both sides, her fear was gradually replaced by excitement.

……

Eighth floor, in front of room 801.

Han Ning withdrew his spiritual power, and the gills on his cheeks and the scales on his body quickly disappeared, returning him to normal.

He pushed open the door, and a faint musty smell wafted out.

"You'll be living here from now on."

"I live next door."

Considering that he often needs to do some research, he decided that it would be better to live alone.

Anyway, there are plenty of empty apartments in the building, so there's no shortage of places for Mr. Xu and his daughter to stay.

Old Xu carried his daughter as he stepped into the apartment, looking around at the lifeless upscale suite.

He put Yinyin down, and as soon as the little girl's feet touched the ground, she immediately looked around the unfamiliar environment with curiosity and caution, her little hands still holding onto her father's trouser leg.

"The environment here is much better than where I am. Thank you, thank you so much, my benefactor."

Old Xu tried to bend down again, but Han Ning immediately stopped him.

"From now on, don't use honorifics to address me, and don't call me benefactor. Just call me by my name—Han Ning, Han from Korea, Ning from tranquility. What's your name?"

"Xu Ming," Old Xu introduced himself. "How about I call you boss? It doesn't feel very respectful to just call you by your name."

"what ever."

Han Ning turned around and went back to his room 803.

A little while later, he came back carrying two bulging plastic bags, which contained two bags of compressed biscuits, two large bottles of mineral water, several cartons of milk, several boxes of instant noodles, a few pieces of chocolate, a small bag of unopened candy, as well as his usual portable gas stove and gas canister.

He placed the bag on the only relatively clean low cabinet inside the door.

"Help me with my work... there will probably be no wages, but food and lodging will be provided, and I'll make sure you're well-fed."

"These are already very precious, thank you!" Old Xu had lost count of how many times he had said thank you, his face filled with deep gratitude.

"You guys rest first, and while you're at it, tidy up the house. I'll let you know if I need anything."

"Good boss."

……

Back home, Han Ning walked quickly to the living room and stood in front of the wall near the balcony.

There are more than a dozen pots and buckets of various sizes here, which is his carefully managed plantation.

He used up a lot of water resources to grow these plants.

He would use every last drop of water—from washing his face, wiping his body, cooking, or even urinating—on these plants to make the most of everything.

He made full use of a dozen flower pots pieced together, several plastic buckets, and even several large soup bowls.

Various plants grow lushly inside.

Two apple trees that have not yet blossomed and have grown to about 1 meter in height.

It's worth mentioning that these two apple trees have been stuck at a height of 1 meter for several days.

The narrow soil space clearly limited its growth.

Han Ning didn't put too much effort into the apple trees.

Beside the apple tree were several clumps of potato seedlings with thick stems, each topped with an inconspicuous pale purple flower.

Pumpkin vines climb on a simple trellis, their leaves as broad as palm fans.

Several lush chili pepper plants.

There are also a few tomato plants that are about to bear fruit.

The moment Han Ning received the Blessing of Nature skill, he thought of the crops he had grown.

"Optimization...evolution..." Han Ning murmured, chewing over these words.

The skill description for Nature's Blessing sounds incredibly promising. It would be interesting if it could optimize plants, making them grow faster, produce higher yields, or even generate some kind of beneficial mutation.

Furthermore, what if... what if in the future it could be used on snow cakes, on other ordinary people, awakened beings, or even on oneself?

But he quickly calmed down.

The skill descriptions are very clear.

"The target level for optimization cannot be higher than that of the Druid itself."

It is highly likely that it will have little effect on oneself.