Coming upstairs, Xu rank knocked on Shen Jinwen's door, they simply agreed on a small code word if they went to each other to knock on the door, four sounds, three fast and one slow, not something particularly rigorous and complicated.

Shortly, Shen Jinwen came over to open the door, and when he saw the large gray dog accompanying Xu Zhi, he instinctively took a step back. Then, realizing that the dog might be as special as that snake before, he asked in surprise, "Is this your new pet?"

"Yes," Xu Zhi nodded and stepped into the door with the dog after Shen Jinwen moved aside.

After Xu Zhi took a seat on the sofa, Shen Jinwen, as he had done before, poured a cup of mineral water for Xu Zhi using a clean paper cup.

The water supply is cut off now, so Shen Jinwen has to go out almost every morning to look for supplies. Fortunately, since most of the city's residents have left, there is still plenty of supplies left behind that they couldn't take with them. For example, there are at least three small shops in the neighborhood that are still stocked with goods.

But unlike the last time, Xu Zhi took a sip from the water cup after receiving it, even though she wasn't thirsty.

Seeing that Xu Zhi had taken a drink of water, Shen Jinwen's expression relaxed slightly. She sat down across from Xu Zhi and asked, "Is there something you need to discuss with me?"

Xu Zhi put down the water cup and nodded, "Yes, there's a rather troublesome matter."

"You must have heard the broadcast too. What do you think about it?" Xu Zhi asked Shen Jinwen first for her opinion.

"It's a trap," Shen Jinwen confirmed.

Although she seemed to have grasped something, she looked at Xu Zhi and said softly, "You came to me because of this?"

Seeing that Shen Jinwen understood, Xu Zhi didn't continue with the preamble and directly asked, "I plan to kill them, and I need your assistance. You won't be taking risks alone. In exchange, I will tell you the information you want to know, and I'll also have my pet help you hunt for three cores that you need."

"I think you also know that keeping them around is not a good thing. This isn't just working for me; if you want to survive in this city, you'll have to face them sooner or later. By cooperating with me now, you'll at least have a powerful ally."

Shen Jinwen understood this logic, but she was also aware of the significant power gap between her and those monsters. To be honest, although she was a transcendent, her abilities were not particularly strong and did not elevate her fighting prowess beyond the realm of ordinary humans. She couldn't quite figure out how she could possibly provide any assistance to Xu Zhi.

"What do you need me to do?" she asked directly.

"A bait."

Xu Zhi didn't hide anything from her.

"I need you to lure those monsters away from the attached middle school."

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"You know that those creatures have low IQs and must be directed by someone. You lure a group of them away from the Middle School Attached to the University, and I'll deal with the intelligent one inside."

"My dog will assist you. It's quite formidable in combat and fast on its feet."

It was a simple and straightforward plan. Originally, Xu Zhi had considered a more complicated approach, but the upgrade of Xiao Yi made her realize that things could be handled more simply.

"So, how will I know if you've succeeded?" Shen Jinwen asked.

Xu Zhi shook his head and said, "We don't have any way to contact each other when we're separated, and I'm not sure if the other crazy ones will change after the intelligent one dies."

"But I can always track the location of my dog. When I'm done with the monsters in the school, my snake will come to you, and it will come to assist you in killing the rest of the monsters."

"So I'll just have to wait and ensure that I don't die before your assistance arrives," Shen Jinwen concluded.

"Yes," Xu Zhi nodded.

Xu Zhi knew that this was a somewhat "harsh" deal since Shen Jinwen would be putting her life on the line. Xu Zhi didn't mind if Shen Jinwen tried to negotiate, and she could even increase the number of cores offered.

However, she didn't expect Shen Jinwen to agree without much hesitation.

"When should we start? How do I lure them? What if I'm intercepted on the way?"

Shen Jinwen asked a few questions.

"My two pets will accompany you. They can ensure that you won't be intercepted. Just go to the entrance of the attached middle school and make some noise to attract those monsters. My dog has a loud bark."

"If only one or two of them come out, then kill them or injure them so that they can go and spread the word. In short, we need to wait until enough of them come out, and then your job is to escape with the dog."

"If there are no further issues, we'll depart in two hours. In the meantime, I can tell you the information you want to know."

"Alright," Shen Jinwen nodded.

"Before that, may I ask why you agreed so decisively? Even if they pose a threat to the area, you're alone and could simply leave and find a safer place. There's no need to risk your life so much." Xu Zhi leaned forward slightly, looking at Shen Jinwen curiously.

Shen Jinwen lowered her gaze and hesitated for a moment, "I just... don't want to leave this place."

She didn't say any more, but Xu Zhi knew that this was enough.

It seemed that this place was special to Shen Jinwen, perhaps that was why she hadn't chosen to leave Yuncheng?

"Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Information about my attribute, the use of cores, and transcendent abilities."

Shen Jinwen wasn't being polite, asking three crucial questions in one go.

Xu Zhi blinked and instructed her, "Close your eyes, and only open them when I tell you to."

Although Shen Jinwen was somewhat puzzled, she had established a preliminary trust relationship with Xu Zhi, so closing her eyes for a moment wasn't a big deal.

Once she closed her eyes, Xu Zhi used her "Eye of Insight" to confirm that the flame in Shen Jinwen's heart was indeed a light blue color.

"Alright."

As Shen Jinwen opened her eyes, Xu Zhi informed her of everything about the "Winter" attribute with certainty. Upon hearing it, Shen Jinwen's face showed a slightly enlightened expression.

"So, this is what attributes actually are?"

Xu Zhi looked at her, "What did you originally think they were?"

Shen Jinwen said, "Wind, fire, water, wood, lightning?"

"... So old-fashioned! Er, no, so traditional!"

Having been criticized, Shen Jinwen did not get angry, but only smiled.

"In any case, that's your attribute. Regarding the use of cores, the only thing I know for now is to consume them."

"However, consuming cores can be quite dangerous. Regarding the specifics of the danger..."

"I've already told you crucial information, which can be considered as an advance payment. The rest will be paid after our cooperation ends."

Xu Zhi teased her a bit, feeling that she had already been very generous by providing so much information upfront. She would decide how much more to tell Shen Jinwen based on her cooperation attitude in the future.

She wasn't worried at all that Shen Jinwen would try to get the information for free, after all, killing her would be a trivial task for Xu Zhi.

The dog accompanying Shen Jinwen was not only for protection and assistance, but also for surveillance and intimidation.