After this one small episode, Ian's mood was also much lighter, at least he still had the system as his trump card.
Ian slowly pushed open the old and heavy wooden door of the bar, and the familiar hustle and bustle and warm lights came pouring out, temporarily dispelling the gloomy and depressing atmosphere of the street. He bowed his head slightly as he made his way to the empty seat at the bar.
"A whiskey." Ian said to the bartender who was polishing his glass.
The bartender glanced at him and skillfully picked up the bottle and poured out a glass of the golden liquid, "It's been rough in town lately, brother."
Ian took the glass and gently took a sip, his eyes swept over the crowd sitting in twos and threes in the bar, and asked in a low voice, "I've been gone for two days, and I heard that quite a few things have happened?"
[Daily Mission Completed, Reward: Talent Enhancement Points X1]
The bartender's complexion changed slightly, and he lowered his voice in response, "But no, the mutant beasts' attacks have become more and more frequent lately, and these past two days have been a nightmare, with the city's defense forces suffering heavy losses, and it's said that an area was almost overrun. Luckily, the Enlightenment Alliance sent high-level Awakened to support them, and only then did they repel them."
Ian frowned, an ominous premonition looming in his heart. He noticed that a few people in guard attire were sitting around in the corner, talking about something with serious and low expressions.
He approached slowly with his glass of wine in hand and sat down in an inconspicuous position next to them, listening to their conversation with his ear to the side.
"I'm telling you guys, the mutant beasts this time are definitely not simple, they are obviously organized, in the past they used to charge in a mindless manner, but now they use tactics and even know how to focus their strength to attack our weakest point." A guard with a scar on his face said in a gloomy tone.
Another guard whispered in agreement, "That's right, last time, the guard tower in the west of the city was almost overrun, luckily, the Enlightened Alliance sent reinforcements in time, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable."
"But how could the mutant beasts suddenly become so organized?" A person next to him interjected doubtfully, "This simply hadn't happened before."
The scarred guard shook his head, his eyes penetrating with deep concern, "I don't know either, but I've heard that among animals, as long as an alpha appears, all other animals must listen to the alpha, do you guys think mutant beasts will be the same."
The others laughed out loud, "Are you drunk, mutant beasts are not ordinary animals, they have different forms, how could there be a chief that can command all mutant beasts. "
Ian's brows furrowed deeply when he heard this, and his fingers gently tapped the edge of the cup. Mutant beasts suddenly displaying organized actions had never been seen or heard of before. However, Ian didn't think that a leader had appeared either, after all, mutant beasts were different and their habits varied greatly, there shouldn't be a leader who could lead all the surrounding species of mutant beasts.
While he was pondering, a shabbily dressed vagabond staggered in and sat right down on the empty seat next to Ian, reeking of alcohol: "Have a stiff drink, old buddy!"
The bartender frowned, but poured a small glass and pushed it in front of him.
The wanderer raised his glass and drank it down in one long, contented sigh, then suddenly said to himself, "You know what, guys? I saw with my own eyes a large group of mutant beasts gathering together in the forest to the east outside of the city last week, that scene scared me to death, I was hiding in the bushes and didn't even dare to utter a single breath."
The surrounding people acted unconcerned, simply because this wanderer often said something borderline.
Ian, however, came to be interested and turned his head to look directly at the wanderer, "Are you sure you saw a large number of mutant beasts gathered together?"
The wanderer was startled by Ian's sharp gaze, but still nodded stiffly, "I swear, I really saw it then. They seemed to be listening to some kind of command, that kind of image I will never forget for the rest of my life, it really looked like an army!"
"Can you tell me exactly where it is?"
The wanderer hesitated and reached out to scratch his head, "It should be near the abandoned farm in the east, I don't remember much about the exact location, I was so scared that I didn't dare to close my eyes for a few whole days after I fled back to the city."
Ian pulled out a few gold coins and handed them to him, his voice low and serious: "Thank you, this money is enough to pay for your drinks for a few days."
The wanderer took the gold coins in surprise and thanked him in a hurry, "Thank you, thank you!"
Ian got up and walked towards the outside of the bar, while his mind kept recalling the words of the vagrant just now. Combined with the fact that the mutant beasts had really started to act in an organized manner, then there was a high probability that there was an even more terrifying and intelligent existence hidden behind it.
"System, what do you think about this mutant beast's actions?" Ian asked in his mind.
[This system is unable to directly judge the cause, but based on the analysis of the existing situation, it is highly likely that some kind of higher level, more intelligent mutant has appeared and is consciously manipulating other mutant beasts to attack].
Ian's eyes gazed slightly, "Are you saying that it is very likely that a mutant beast has evolved intelligence and started manipulating other mutant beasts?"
[This possibility is extremely high, this system suggests that the host investigate as soon as possible to prevent the situation from deteriorating further.]
Ian took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the burden on his shoulders, "Looks like I'll have to check around the abandoned farm in the east of the city as soon as possible."
Since there was no way to convince the Free Chamber of Commerce to join the alliance for the time being, let's go ahead and complete the other quests first, maybe there will be an unexpected surprise too.