Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 269: Cryo Wolf to the Rescue

If there were no irreconcilable conflicts between the other side and his group, perhaps he could exchange some animal-raising experiences with him later.

Kim Haru thought to himself.

The journey progressed swiftly. Except for Kim Haru, everyone else was an ability user, so the pace didn’t bother them. Kim Haru didn’t ask to slow down either. Before he even felt tired, Snowball No. 1 had already scooped him up and let him ride on its back.

Surprisingly, it was quite comfortable.

After traversing most of Imsil County, the people from the Bangnang Safe Zone who are leading the way finally slowed their pace.

The sporadic firelight that was filtered through the cracks of dilapidated buildings, cast a faint glow in the dark night.

"We’ve arrived."

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By now, the sky had turned completely dark, but neither the people from the Bangnang Safe Zone nor the pyeongseong rescue team suggested resting.

"Where are our people?" Shin Woncheon asked directly.

"They’re right behind us," said Song Hayoon, the woman leading the people from the Bangnang Safe Zone. She continued walking without stopping and led them into a residential building.

There was a minor issue when entering the building. The Cryo Wolf couldn’t fit into the narrow stairwell.

After much persuasion, Kim Haru managed to get the Snowball No. 1 to restrain the rest of the pack and wait downstairs.

Kim Haru could have stored the Cryo Wolf in his system backpack, but this wasn’t his small farm. While he trusted the people from the Pyeongseong Safe Zone, the people from the Bangnang Safe Zone remained an unknown—friend or foe.

If it became known that Kim Haru’s "space" could store living beings, who knows what kind of turmoil that would cause?

The Cryo Wolf, obedient as ever, stayed behind. After hearing Kim Haru promise to personally prepare a grand meal for them when they returned, they huddled together in the snowy field below. Curling into tight, compact groups, they blended in perfectly with the snow, disguising themselves as harmless snowdrifts.

As for the Ginseng Spirit, Kim Haru discreetly stored it in his system backpack. The sled crafted from the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree remained outside, guarded by the Cryo Wolf. Together, the group entered the residential building.

Judging by the tidiness of the building, it was clear that the Bangnang Safe Zone had been residing here for some time. The upper floors appeared unsafe and were uninhabited; people only occupied the first to third floors.

When Kim Haru’s group entered the building, a few people who were still awake or naturally vigilant peeked out from behind half-closed doors. Their wary gazes fell on Kim Haru, who was riding atop someone, assessing him cautiously. However, the moment they spotted Song Hayoon leading the group, their expressions relaxed.

"Boss!"

"Boss, why are you back so late?"

"Boss, get some rest soon. A lady needs to take care of herself, you know."

"Boss, who are they?"

"I was wondering why I hadn’t seen you around since dinner. It turns out you went outside!"

"Boss, you’ve worked hard."

Kim Haru glanced at Song Hayoon.

It seemed this woman had considerable skill—winning such respect and loyalty from other people was no small feat.

"It’s nothing. Go to bed," Song Hayoon said with a dismissive wave. "There’s work to do tomorrow. Rest up."

The others retreated obediently and then closed their doors.

The group stopped at a room on the third floor.

A little girl stood guard by the door. Upon seeing them approach, she hopped excitedly over to Song Hayoon. "Boss, boss! I gave them a good—"

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"Soeon!"

Someone quickly interrupted her, but it was too late to stop her loose tongue.

The pyeongseong rescue team members immediately tensed.

"What did you do to our people?" one of them demanded, shoving the door open in a hurry.

Inside the room, a dozen of people were bound with metal chains created by a metal-type ability user. Their hair was damp, and the water had yet to freeze, indicating it had only recently been poured on them.

The sight enraged the pyeongseong rescue team members. In such freezing weather, dumping water on people was cruel. Even for ability users, enduring the brutal cold of nature was no easy feat!

Yet they understood that, to the people from the Bangnang Safe Zone, these people were prisoners. And prisoners were rarely treated kindly.

When the members of the resource searching team who were restrained with the chain heard footsteps, they assumed it was more of the people from the Bangnang Safe Zone coming in.

"What do you want to—wait… Shin Woncheon?! Mr. Kim?!"

They raised their heads and were astonished to see familiar faces.

Even those who had been too dejected to look up now did so eagerly. They were met with the sight of people they knew!

It was truly them—familiar comrades! Surely, no one could convincingly impersonate Mr. Kim himself.

"You’ve finally come," Jo Sungmo said with a relieved sigh. "But, Mr. Kim, why did you come along? What if something happened to you?"

Kim Haru gave a calm, reassuring smile but said nothing.

Even though Shin Woncheon and his team were eager to untie their companions, they didn’t act rashly.

Shin Woncheon turned to Song Hayoon. "Let’s make the exchange, then."

Song Hayoon wagged her finger with a sly smile. "Not so fast."

"What do you want, then?"Shin Woncheon asked.

"If there are only this few people on our side, and the people in your hands amount to just one, even if you add his cats and dogs, it’s still just three. No matter how you calculate it, it’s not worth it for us to make this exchange."

The pyeongseong rescue team didn’t know how to respond to this.

"Then name your terms," Shin Woncheon said calmly, maintaining his composure in this situation.

Song Hayoon’s expression turned satisfied. "Let’s make it simple. Yoon Jongju, I’ll leave it to you."

The bespectacled man named Yoon Jongju stepped forward at her signal.