Rover looked at the lantern on John’s side.

The lantern wasn’t large, its design antiquated, its body seemingly made from a type of dark bronze metal. Inside it, a pale yellow flame was burning very steadily. The light wasn’t strong, but wherever it touched, the surrounding fog drew back as if having encountered something that made it unwilling to approach.

In this fog-covered world, a lantern capable of pushing back fog already said a great deal.

John looked at Rover, then lowered his head to look at the lantern on his side. The cheerful smile on his face paused slightly, but very quickly, he shrugged as if this was nothing worth hiding.

"You’re not surprised?"

Rover didn’t immediately answer.

He only stared fixedly at John.

That gaze didn’t hold much fear, but it also didn’t hold a trace of trust. Rover was assessing the person before him, from the lantern on his side, to the smile on his face, to the small ring of lights currently pushing the fog out of this area.

John saw Rover fall silent like that and burst out laughing.

"Looks like you’ve already guessed my identity."

"I didn’t guess."

"Then who did?"

"My woman."

John was slightly taken aback, then laughed even more cheerfully.

"Then I’m truly starting to envy you. I thought I could surprise you a little, yet the people in your household already figured it out in advance."

Rover didn’t let his guard down because of John’s joking tone. He glanced around. This area wasn’t too far from the apartment complex; at least he could still see the faint silhouette of the massive building behind the fog. But between him and the apartment complex there was still a thick expanse of fog, and moreover the vehicle that had brought him here had silently shut off behind him.

If something truly unexpected happened, he wasn’t sure he could immediately retreat.

This feeling made Rover very uncomfortable.

"What did you call me here for?"

John raised both hands, as if wanting to prove he had no ill intent.

"Don’t be so tense. I’m not planning to put you in danger. If I truly wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have used such a polite method to invite you here."

Rover looked at the black vehicle behind him, then looked at the surrounding fog.

"A self-driving vehicle crossing through fog, bringing me to an unpopulated place. This is polite?"

John thought for a moment, then seriously nodded.

"At least I didn’t throw a burlap sack over your head and drag you here."

Rover: "..."

He felt that talking with John was somewhat like talking with Leng Yan. Not because their personalities were similar, but because both people had a kind of feeling that made others not know whether to be angry or on guard first.

John looked at Rover’s expression and smiled: "Alright, I’ll speak directly. I want to cooperate with you."

"Cooperate?"

"That’s right."

"With me?"

John shrugged.

"Why not you?"

Rover frowned.

He didn’t like this kind of answer.

John seemed to also know that Rover wouldn’t be satisfied with a joke, so he only smiled briefly then continued: "Rover, I’ve observed many Survivors. Some are stronger than you right now, some are at higher levels than you, some have better resources than you, and some have larger factions than you. But when it comes to potential, among the Survivors I’ve seen so far, you’re the most interesting."

Rover slightly narrowed his eyes.

This sentence didn’t make him feel pleased.

On the contrary, it made him pay attention to another part of it.

There were people stronger than him.

People at higher levels than him.

People with larger factions than him.

This wasn’t surprising, but when a Lamp-Bearer said it, the meaning was different. It proved that the scope Rover was currently seeing was only a very small part. The Survivors in this apartment complex weren’t the entire world; they might even only be a shallow pond within a sealed-off area.

"You say I have the most potential. What is that potential?" Rover asked.

John looked at him for a few seconds.

"That’s what I want to find out."

Rover laughed coldly.

"You want to cooperate with me, but you yourself don’t yet know what you want to cooperate for?"

"No." John shook his head. "I know what I want. I want to bet on you. As for how far you can ultimately go, that’s what I don’t yet know."

Rover didn’t like the two words "bet on."

Because the person being bet on usually isn’t the one controlling the game.

He looked at John, his voice much calmer: "If you want to cooperate, the most basic thing is to tell the truth. I don’t need you to share all your secrets, but at the very least, what you tell me must be true."

John looked at Rover.

The smile on his face gradually faded a little.

In those few seconds, Rover finally felt the person before him no longer resembled a joker. John was still smiling, but his gaze had become clearer. He seemed to have just confirmed that Rover wasn’t the type of Survivor who could be easily lured away with a few enticing words.

A moment later, John suddenly glanced at Rover’s chest.

Not a strange look, but more like he had just discovered something hiding there.

"I don’t mind letting your woman listen in."

Rover frowned.

"What do you mean?"

John only smiled and didn’t answer.

Right after, the strand of energy that Nanoe had once left within Rover’s body slowly vibrated. At first, it was only like a thin thread hidden within his body, warm, soft, carrying a very familiar feeling that belonged to Nanoe. But at this moment, that thread slowly separated from Rover’s body, transforming into scattered pale red specks of light that then condensed behind him.

A translucent silhouette appeared in the faint lamplight.

Nanoe.

Her body wasn’t completely real, resembling a projection formed from energy. Her long brown hair fell down her back. Her hazy dress shifted gently in the air. Her face was still so gentle that others could easily forget the danger lurking beneath those eyes.

Rover slightly turned his head.

"Nanoe?"

Nanoe smiled.

"I already said that if your life status fluctuated strongly, I would know."

"I haven’t fluctuated strongly yet."

"But John discovered me."

Nanoe said very naturally, then her translucent body drifted to stand behind Rover. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, her chin gently resting on his shoulder. Even though it was only an energy body, that familiar feeling still made Rover stiffen slightly for a moment.

John looked at the scene, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"I just said I was envious of you. Now I’m truly envious."

Nanoe paid no attention to his teasing.

She tilted her face, looking at Rover from very close distance. Her voice was much gentler than usual: "I’m not at ease."

Rover looked at her.

Nanoe softly continued: "You are my entire world. I’ve only just found Nanami again, but that doesn’t mean I can afford to lose you."

John let out a very soft whistle.

Rover felt his scalp go slightly numb.

Not from fear.

But because Nanoe’s words were too direct, too gentle, but also too heavy. If it had been before, Rover might have thought this was just emotional words from a woman. But after watching Nanoe use a few sentences to suppress the chat channel, after watching her place energy into Rilia’s body and grip the other party’s life, Rover knew very clearly that this sentence wasn’t only emotion.

For Nanoe, he truly was the center.

This made Rover feel both at ease and slightly dangerous in a way that was very difficult to describe.

John lightly cleared his throat.

"I don’t want to break the sweet atmosphere between you two, but if we continue like this, I’m afraid I’ll start regretting having invited you here."

Nanoe raised her head to look at John.

The smile on her face was still there.

But her gaze had changed.

"What do you want from Rover?"

Her voice remained gentle, not loud at all, but John immediately raised both hands again.

"Calm down. I truly have no ill intent. I only want to cooperate, and moreover, the kind that’s mutually beneficial."

"Then speak clearly."

John looked at Nanoe, then looked at Rover again.

"Alright. I’ll say the parts I’m able to say."

He raised his hand to lightly touch the lantern on his side. The flame within flickered slightly. The pale yellow light covered his face, making that cheerful smile become a little more serious.

"We Lamp-Bearers have a mission. To seek out Survivors with high potential, observe them, support them within the bounds of the rules, and if we feel they’re worth it, we can bet on them."

Rover said nothing.

Nanoe also didn’t interrupt.

John continued: "If the Survivor that a Lamp-Bearer bets on can surpass level 5, that Lamp-Bearer will have the opportunity to leave this dead zone, advance into a larger area, and simultaneously become the guide of the Survivor they chose."

Rover frowned.

"Dead zone?"

John nodded.

"That’s right. The place you’re currently in is the dead zone."

The surrounding air suddenly went quieter.

The fog still silently surrounded the ring of light, but in this moment, Rover felt the massive apartment complex in the distance also seemed to become much smaller.

Dead zone.

Just this name alone was enough to make one feel uncomfortable.

Rover looked at John.

"Continue."

John smiled.

"I thought you’d ask more questions."

"You haven’t finished speaking. Asking now would only waste time."

John looked at Rover for a moment, then shrugged.

"Alright then. I’ll continue."