Ming felt distressed, not knowing what was wrong with the world. He only said that he was a good person, but the group of women collectively took a few steps back. Had "good people" become so terrifying?
Then, the woman leading the group said, "Friend, we don't know each other, and perhaps we'll only meet this once in our lives, so there's no need to disturb each other."
Afterward, they retreated another dozen steps, lit a bonfire, and gathered around it. With their weapons in hand, they faced outwards, maintaining a guarded posture.
Among them was a girl around 14 or 15 years old, carrying a giant blade taller than herself. She stared at Ming intently, as if she were guarding a villain.
"How can I execute my plan when they are so hostile?"
[Your froglets looked at you and suggested that you should clean yourself and put on new clothes. They believed that with your current appearance, girls would only like you if they were blind.]
[Your froglets stretched their limbs, ready to help, but you grabbed them and started kneading them in your hands. They enjoyed it and had an idea - your Da Vinci thought you could use this technique on those women, and maybe someone would like it enough to go home with you.]
"Stop being naughty!" Ming thought, trying to figure out how to break the deadlock.
"You're going to squeeze them to death!" The girl with the giant blade looked at the blood-covered young man holding two toads in his hands.
"..." Ming felt warmth in his heart, realizing that the girl was friendly, and finally had an opening for conversation.
"Lara, don't talk to strangers." Marie, standing beside Lara, glared at her before turning her gaze back to Ming.
She didn't understand how a person with such an appearance could have the confidence to claim he was a good person. Nevertheless, she politely said to Ming, "I apologize, the child doesn't know any better and has disturbed you."
"No disturbance, I really like children~"
"..."
Upon hearing Ming's words, the women all looked at him, and Marie pulled the young girl with the giant blade behind her, seemingly protecting her.
The atmosphere fell silent and slightly awkward, but Ming didn't give up. He knew he was the kind of person who became more determined when facing setbacks and would never give up easily. He continued to think of solutions!
On the other side, Marie opened a private chat channel.
[Andrew Marie: We've encountered a situation here.]
[***02: What kind of situation? Which map area are you in? What's your reference point? I'm starting to search randomly!]
[Andrew Marie: Currently, there's one person, but he killed a king-level beast. It's impossible for a single person to kill a king-level beast in the water, so I speculate that he has companions nearby. The exact number is unknown. We're in area 30-40. The reference point is a large river, which is S-shaped on the map. In the middle part of the S, there's an abandoned RV, and we lit a square bonfire...]
[***02: The place you described feels like somewhere we've been... Did you say anything to that person?]
[Andrew Marie: He was covered in blood and claimed to be a good person, telling us not to be afraid. This person is definitely suspicious!]
[***02: Hahaha, was he carrying a chainsaw?]
[Andrew Marie: Why are you laughing? Yes, he was.]
[***02: Hhhhh, he was introducing himself... Let me tell you, he is the strongest person in Zone 109, Gutman. You're safe with him around. By the way, you didn't disrespect him, did you? You must respect him; he's the big boss behind Zone 109! Understand?]
[Andrew Marie: ... I understand now.]
...
With this new information, Marie's perception of Ming shifted. It turned out that he was the renowned Gutman, the strongest person in Zone 109. Knowing that they were safe in his presence, Marie and the others could now relax and interact with Ming more comfortably.
"Yes, that's right!" Ming suddenly realized that these people were all from Zone 31. He could use this as a starting point to become familiar with them and then inspire their enthusiasm to help him.
That was the plan! Ming had just finished formulating the idea in his mind when Marie approached him.
"?" Ming was a bit confused. When she came closer, she stopped and looked at him with a slight smile, "Hello, are you Gutman?"
"..." Ming was taken aback for a moment before responding, "Although my current appearance may lead to misunderstandings, I assure you that I am a good man."
"Gutman from Zone 109?"
"Yes." Ming nodded, understanding the situation.
Marie asked again, "Do you know Benjamin?"
"Benjamin?" Ming recalled, remembering that among the people from Zone 31 that Alan had taken away earlier, there was a level 34 Vanguard named Benjamin.
"I met him briefly during the day."
"That's great! He's also an archer like you, and he has always admired you. Did he ask for your advice on long-range combat today?"
Marie showed a smile, her hand still in a position to grab her weapon at any time.
"..." Ming paused. Benjamin was clearly a Vanguard, not an archer.
Understanding Marie's intentions, Ming realized that she must have communicated with Benjamin but was still unsure whether he was really Gutman. So, she used this question to test him.
Caution was a good habit, and it provided Ming with an excellent opportunity. He decided to use this chance to build trust and clear any misunderstandings between them, while also enlisting their help for his mission.
Ming scratched his head, pretending to be clueless, and said, "You're asking this to test me, aren't you? Am I really that untrustworthy?"
"I'm sorry... I was being overly cautious," Marie quickly realized that the person in front of her was indeed Gutman from Zone 109 based on his answer, and she immediately apologized, "Please don't mind."
"It's not a big deal. In this day and age, being cautious is good for everyone. I'm actually quite cautious too."
"Uh, yeah."
Now it was Marie's turn to feel a bit embarrassed. After testing a renowned figure like Gutman, even though his outward demeanor didn't show any signs of annoyance, she couldn't guess what he was thinking internally.
Moreover, since Zone 31 had just merged, it was quite awkward that she had doubted their behind-the-scenes leader so soon. Her biggest concern was whether he would develop unnecessary misunderstandings towards the people of Zone 31.
What to do?
The first thing Marie thought of was to change the subject. She looked at the half-fish and asked, "Did you kill this today?"
"Yes," Ming nodded. Finally, the conversation had turned to the fish, and they were back on track.
It really hadn't been easy to get to this point.
