Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World-Chapter 332 : The Hidden Threat
They are surrounded by the captains of the patrol team, who were all elite fighters.
In case of an emergency, they would still have time to shield him.
The gate then slowly opened under everyone's heightened vigilance.
...
Moon Baein anxiously grabbed Kim Haru's arm. "Mr. Kim, why don't you wait in the safe zone with the Cryo Wolf? If anything happens to you, how could we possibly live with ourselves?"
Moon Baein was well aware that the Pyeongseong Safe Zone could afford to lose a Safe Zone Commander like him, but it absolutely couldn't afford to lose Mr. Kim!
While he knew Kim Haru was a dual-type ability user and incredibly powerful, he couldn't bear the thought of any accident befalling him.
Kim Haru felt nervous too, but he understood that with the farming system in his possession, he had tools and protections like the system's trading shop items and the Farm's Blessing.
These gave him a better chance than anyone else to deal with the dangerous creature outside.
If this creature wasn't dealt with, the entire Pyeongseong Safe Zone would be affected.
Kim Haru wasn't so cold-hearted as to watch an entire safe zone of people suffer.
Besides, he wasn't a main combatant.
Kim Haru was clear about his role—he was support.
He wouldn't recklessly charge to the front lines.
Moreover, Kim Haru had another theory in his mind.
The current situation bore some resemblance to when the Cryo Wolf had appeared before.
Since this threat was also a living creature, he couldn't help but wonder if it had been sent by the same unknown entity that had sent the Cryo Wolf and Starlight Armored Bug.
So far, these creatures sent by the mysterious force had been exceptionally helpful to him, and Kim Haru chose to believe that the entity had good intentions.
Even if this creature wasn't sent by that force, as long as it was a living being, Kim Haru wanted to try communicating with it—just like he had done with the Hamsters and Antharion Giant Ants tribe before.
Resolving the matter peacefully would undoubtedly be the ideal outcome.
For all these reasons, Kim Haru decided to go along.
Moon Baein was eventually persuaded.
The group proceeded cautiously, heading southward from the western gate.
Walking through the snowy landscape, the biting cold soon crept into everyone's bones.
Yet, the true source of tension weighing on their hearts was the unknown dangerous creature ahead, leaving no one with the bandwidth to notice the chill.
"Do any of you feel anything?" Ryu Hyunwoo of the Delta Squad whispered cautiously to those nearby.
As an Earth-type ability user, he had been communicating with the ground beneath them throughout the journey, attempting to sense the presence of any creatures ahead through the earth's vibrations.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he received no response at all.
To Ryu Hyunwoo, this was far from normal.
The other ability users beside him also shook their heads, indicating that they had not detected anything unusual either.
However, the lack of anomalies did not ease the group's tension.
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Instead, it only heightened their vigilance.
The strange behavior of the animals at the research institute could not have occurred without reason.
Likewise, Mr. Kim's Cryo Wolf were not ordinary creatures.
Unless every single one of them was hallucinating, the absence of any sign of danger seemed highly improbable.
But for so many people to experience the same hallucination was equally unthinkable.
Shin Woncheon who was walking ahead of them, overheard the conversation.
He quickened his pace and asked Chung Hwangeun to check it with his ability.
When Chung Hwangeun shook his head in response, Shin Woncheon fell back a few steps to report to Moon Baein and Kim Haru.
"Safe Zone Commander, Mr. Kim, no one has sensed any anomalies throughout this journey. Either the dangerous creature is still far from us, or it is exceptionally skilled at concealment. Neither scenario bodes well," Shin Woncheon said, his expression filled with concern.
If the dangerous creature was still far away, its presence alone had been enough to terrify the animals at the research institute.
By the time it reached the Pyeongseong Safe Zone, what sort of havoc could it wreak?
Could this small group of theirs truly hope to stop it?
On the other hand, if the creature was adept at concealment, it might also excel in ambushes.
This meant that even with Moon Baein and Kim Haru bringing up the rear, they weren't necessarily safe.
Moon Baein considered this possibility and made a quick decision. "Let's probe a bit further. If the situation remains the same, we'll stop and reevaluate our strategy."
Meanwhile, Kim Haru was staring at his farming system interface with a growing sense of unease.
Logically, the presence of such a dangerous creature should have been enough to trigger the activation of his Farm's Blessing.
Why hadn't it activated yet?
The Farm's Blessing hadn't activated, which could only mean one of two things.
Either the source of the danger hadn't yet entered a range deemed threatening by the system, or the system had determined that this crisis was something Kim Haru could handle on his own, making activation unnecessary.
However, both scenarios conflicted heavily with reality.
If it were the first case, why had the animals at the research institute already sensed the danger while he, presumably closer to the threat, had not?
If it were the second case, how could a creature that made even the Cryo Wolf tremble in fear be something an ordinary that non-ability use like him could possibly deal with?
Unless... the creature didn't harbor any hostility toward him to begin with.
"Mr. Kim, is something wrong?"
The group had come to a halt, but Moon Baein noticed that Kim Haru seemed lost in thought and had even taken a few steps ahead.
Concerned, Moon Baein gave him a slight nudge, bringing him back to the present.
"Oh, I'm fine," Kim Haru replied, startled. "Why have we stopped? Are we not moving forward?"
