Target: Great Western Continent

In Hua Xi's worldview, food had always been utterly divorced from refinement or flavor.

Well, perhaps the upper echelons of those big corporations and major powers had the means to pursue culinary delights.

But for the vast majority living on this wasteland, food was nothing more than a necessary resource to sustain life, and nothing else.

For refugees, being able to eat something every day without starving was already satisfying; "eating one's fill" was a rare luxury.

As an Evolver, a "Wasteland Hunter" fared somewhat better than refugees, but only marginally.

In this perilous world, they still had to risk their lives, venturing dangerously into the wilderness.

Often, to avoid detection, they dared not light a fire, gnawing on frozen-hard jerky and flatbread, washing it down with snow.

So, in Hua Xi's dictionary, the concept of "delicious food" had never existed.

Until this moment, when she, dazed and clumsy, stiffly grabbed a clump of rice and vegetables and stuffed it into her mouth, feeling the warmth and the aroma of seasoned food exploding on her taste buds.

Her entire mind went blank for an instant.

"This... is food? Rice and dishes can taste this good?"

The thought surged uncontrollably in her mind.

Hua Xi suddenly realized she couldn't control her hands anymore.

Unaccustomed to chopsticks, she simply grabbed the boxed meal and devoured it with a ferocious urgency, as if afraid someone would snatch it away if she ate too slowly.

Lin Tuo had deliberately ordered a large portion; he'd only taken a few bites himself when Hua Xi was already licking the box clean in the sub-zero-twenty-degree cold.

"Burp!" After a few licks, she choked, rolling her eyes and hiccuping.

"Slow down..." Lin Tuo was stunned, but his tone softened considerably. He reached for a bottle of water, handed it to her, and said, "Have a drink, wash it down."

"Tha... burp!" Hua Xi couldn't finish her sentence, just gazing admiringly at the bottle in her hand. She hesitated, unscrewed the cap, and took a cautious sip.

The sweet taste contrasted so sharply with the dusty snow water that she dared not drink greedily.

She only took a few careful sips, then recapped the bottle, instinctively trying to stuff it into her pocket.

"Why hide a bottle of water? There's a whole case here..." Lin Tuo said helplessly.

Then he pointed at the large bag of skewers and snacks. "Not full yet? There's more."

So, Hua Xi's shriveled stomach began to fill with new wonders. A handful of meat skewers—the girl nearly swallowed the sticks themselves in a few bites.

As for the snacks, she only tasted a few before putting them away.

Well, since her stomach wasn't empty anymore, it was better to save these for the road.

Lin Tuo watched but said nothing.

Hua Xi, however, had a completely different look in her eyes now. She stared at Lin Tuo until he finished his meal, then suddenly asked:

"Who exactly are you?"

The origin of this food was utterly baffling. Those snacks with their exquisite packaging, though she couldn't read the text, were clearly similar to Old Era creations.

But thirty years had passed—except for a handful of preserved foods, only the wrappers remained... yet these were fresh.

And those hot dishes were even harder to explain, their source highly suspicious. Logically, there was no way to account for it, unless...

"Could it be that your ability is to conjure food out of thin air?" Hua Xi suddenly asked with a serious expression.

In her view, that was the only possibility.

"Pfft." Lin Tuo was drinking water and nearly spat it out. But on second thought, well, that did kind of count as his "ability."

He screwed the cap back on, put on a straight face, and said:

"Don't ask about things you shouldn't know. Alright, you've eaten. Now it's your turn to keep answering my questions. Hmm, if you're unwilling to talk, then I'll have to..."

"Ask away. I'll tell you everything." Before he could finish, Hua Xi sighed and conceded.

She couldn't resist anyway, and besides, she'd eaten his food.

Lin Tuo was taken aback, then chuckled. He thought for a moment and said:

"You've probably figured out by now that I'm not from around here. I came from a distant place and don't know the local customs. So... I want to get in touch with the three powers you mentioned. Where can I find them quickly?"

"You want to find them?" Hua Xi paused, suppressing her urge to ask questions, and said seriously, "Normally, you'd go to their main cities. But right now... you'll have to go to the Great Western Continent."

The Great Western Continent...

Hearing that name, Lin Tuo's eyes flickered. He asked calmly, "Why?"

"Because not long ago, the radiation levels in the Great Western Continent started to drop. The main forces of the Blazing Fire, Gray Mountain, and Floating Apocalypse all swarmed into the Great Western Continent's Mountain Range.

They're exploring that area, searching for the legendary Secret Seal."

Hua Xi explained.

"Secret Seal? Tell me everything about the Great Western Continent." Lin Tuo's expression turned serious as he asked.

Soon, with Hua Xi's account, he roughly pieced together the situation.

Among the wasteland survivors, a legend had long been circulating.

That was more than thirty years ago. The Mad Emperor was able to control the researchers so smoothly and carry out that world-destroying experiment by relying on a supernatural artifact called the "Secret Seal."

Legend has it that this artifact was born from the "Spirit Tide" that appears every few years, possessing the power to influence others' minds.

There were even rumors that the Mad Emperor's successful usurpation, establishment of the New Dynasty, and decades-long grip on power all depended on this mysterious treasure.

Of course, this claim has no solid proof, but it's hardly groundless.

When the "Cataclysm" occurred, that Secret Seal, along with the Mad Emperor and the entire Great Western Continent Laboratory, was buried deep within the western Mountain Range.

And because that area was closest to the explosion, the radiation contamination was also the most severe.

For thirty years, many have tried to enter the Great Western Continent, but none returned alive.

Thus, it became a death zone on the wasteland.

It wasn't until recent years, as radiation levels dropped, that the various powers turned their attention back there.

Especially not long ago, when the contamination entered a rapid decline phase.

The entire Great Western Continent was no longer as dangerous, so the Three Major Powers all mobilized their main forces, rushing to the Great Western Continent to excavate that forbidden zone and search for the Secret Seal.

"All Three Major Powers are afraid the others will find the Secret Seal. After all, if it truly has that kind of miraculous power, whoever obtains it will change the wasteland's landscape."

"Even many Evolvers have gone... And, putting that aside, even if they don't find the Secret Seal, legend says the Great Western Continent Laboratory has plenty of good stuff."

"The Old Era's largest weapons production site was there."

"So... whether for the Secret Seal or the resources there, none of the Three Major Powers can give up..."

"So, about a month or two ago, their main forces had already entered the Great Western Continent. They should still be exploring deeper by now. If you want to find them, that's the easiest place—you'll run into them right away..."

Hua Xi said, then suddenly sighed and muttered:

"Originally, I got my hands on that batch of weapons and was thinking of heading over to take a look myself."

Lin Tuo smiled faintly, then fell into thought.

The news Hua Xi brought indeed filled in some gaps in his knowledge, giving him a clearer picture of the specifics.

The "Spirit Tide" should be related to his act of collecting Aether... This made Lin Tuo both amused and a little surprised.

After all, even Earth's civilization outside the Sandbox hadn't fully understood Aether...

Well, that wasn't quite fair to say, since Lin Tuo hadn't conducted a global collection outside the Sandbox, nor had he broadly disturbed Earth's Aether environment.

If one day he had the ability to collect globally, Earth's scientists would naturally detect the anomaly.

What concerned him more, however, was this "Secret Seal."

"Supernatural power... related to the Spirit Tide... What exactly is that thing?"

Lin Tuo was curious, even tempted to teleport to the Great Western Continent immediately, but after a moment's thought, he held back.

After all, the entire Sandbox was under his control. No matter what, the Secret Seal couldn't escape his grasp. There was no need to rush.

Still, he would go to the Great Western Continent. He was already heading west anyway, and this route was perfect for hunting Mutant Beasts to speed up his body-tempering progress—two birds with one stone.

Having made up his mind, Lin Tuo asked again:

"One last question. What exactly is your ability?"

He vaguely felt that the supernatural power of the "Secret Seal" might share some similarity with the "abilities" of these Evolvers themselves.

This was also the second time he'd raised the question. This time, Hua Xi hesitated briefly, sighed, and confessed:

"My ability... is actually Pain Self-Healing... That is, whenever my body is injured, I can repair it quickly, but the cost is that I consume nutrients inside me."

"So every time I get hurt, I end up starving..."

"Back when I was fighting those Burning Fire Company guys, I got injured. My body healed on the road, but I was nearly starving to death, so I went to Mine Town to find food."

So that was it.

Lin Tuo's expression showed understanding. No wonder he'd been puzzled earlier—why, while being chased, she had the leisure to steal food. It was the price of Pain Self-Healing.

The reason she recovered so quickly after he'd injured her earlier was also a manifestation of this ability.

"Hmm, sounds like some kind of rapid cell proliferation ability... I wonder if it can be replicated. If I could study it..."

Lin Tuo's interest was piqued, and he couldn't help but think.

The two sat a while longer, learning more details.

When they'd rested enough, Lin Tuo led Hua Xi back into the car. "Done eating. Time to hit the road."

"Where are we going?" Hua Xi, now untied, scrambled into the car and asked.

"Click... rumble..." He turned the key, the engine roared to life, and the whole modified vehicle shuddered. Amid the rumbling, Lin Tuo stepped on the gas and replied calmly:

"The Great Western Continent. We're heading west, all the way!"

ps: Thanks to old reader "Mom I'm So Handsome" for the ten-thousand reward!!

Thanks to readers: Even If I'm Banned I'll Still Show Off, Li Shipu, Buy Sweet Water I Won't Drink I'll Waste It, Red Dust Blood Dream, Hilarious Great Heavenly Lord for the reward support!