Lu Yin

The broken earth stretched out with countless cracks, black smoke obscuring the last rays of the setting sun. Countless people walked with difficulty on the muddy road, their faces filled with despair and fear. From time to time, someone would fall into a crack, their cries never ceasing.

A line of tens of thousands of people stretched out like a dragon. On both sides, at regular intervals, stood warriors with enhanced bodies, known as Evolvers.

Since the sudden catastrophe on Earth half a year ago, Evolvers had appeared one after another.

At the rear of the line, Lu Yin looked into the distance. He heard a chilling chewing sound and, with a roar, a Mutant Dog, two meters long with scarlet eyes, burst from behind a burning tree, blood dripping from its mouth as it charged towards the line.

Many survivors in the line screamed in terror at the sight. Lu Yin's eyes sharpened, and he drew a strange weapon from his waist. It looked like an iron rod, but one side was sharpened, resembling a blade.

Lu Yin leaped up and slashed downwards with one hand, severing the Mutant Dog's head without obstruction. Blood sprayed onto the ground, staining the grass red.

Seeing the Mutant Dog dead, the line finally quieted down, and they continued forward with fear.

Lu Yin retracted his iron rod and examined it, noticing a few cracks. "It seems it won't last much longer."

As the sun set, the earth plunged into darkness. All the Evolvers lit fires, which spread along the line, attempting to drive away Mutant Beasts with this method. The line also stopped moving.

Going to an unfamiliar place in the dark was akin to seeking death.

A hoarse static sound crackled, and a voice came from the walkie-talkie on Lu Yin's waist. "Evolver number 103, search for food within a one-kilometer radius."

Lu Yin's Evolver code was 103. He looked up at the Mutant Dog he had just killed, picked it up, and tossed it to the front of the line. "Eat."

A commotion erupted from within the line, followed by several men stepping forward to process it. They looked accustomed to it, even though there were still remnants of human bones in the Mutant Dog's mouth.

One Mutant Dog was only enough for about twenty people. Lu Yin walked out of the campfire, gripped his iron rod, and headed into the distance.

The sound of chewing never stopped in his ears. In the darkness, pairs of green eyes stared at Lu Yin. These were Mutant Rats. Although they looked unsightly, their meat was edible.

Lu Yin swung his iron rod, smashing over ten Mutant Rats to death, and carried them back to the line. He had enough for his section.

Suddenly, a scream rang out. Lu Yin knew an Evolver had died without even looking. He didn't intend to save them. Who knew what had attacked the Evolver? Perhaps it was a venomous snake, a blood-sucking mosquito, or a powerful Mutant Rat capable of crushing steel. Such creatures were not uncommon in the wild.

The line was silent, everyone hiding behind the flames, as if the thin layer of fire could truly protect them.

Lu Yin looked at these people with pity, then looked up at the sky. The starry sky was so brilliant and bright. The polluted air of the past had completely recovered six months ago, accompanied by the mutation of countless creatures, including humans themselves.

No one knew what caused that mutation. It was as if overnight, living things had become terrifying, and many people had also turned into walking corpses without reason, devouring living things everywhere. These people were called Zombies.

The remaining survivors had all become stronger, though the changes were not significant. They could grow stronger by consuming Crystals from mutated creatures; these were the Evolvers.

The Earth seemed to have returned to ancient times overnight, a world of survival of the fittest. The vast arsenal that once ruled the Earth was almost completely destroyed. Lu Yin personally witnessed the explosion of the arsenal in his city, as if modern weapons were incompatible with the current era.

A gust of wind blew, and the blood-stained newspapers on the ground rustled as they were pressed by stones.

Lu Yin picked up a newspaper and read the headline: "February 3rd, 2200. A day to be etched in history. On that day, Huaxia Sky Five landed on Neptune. Bai Qian became the first astronaut from Earth to explore Neptune. Neptune is a gas giant. On that day..." Lu Yin threw away the newspaper. A little girl carefully handed him a roasted beast leg.

Lu Yin took the beast leg and smiled faintly. "Thank you."

The little girl smiled shyly and ran back into the line.

The beast leg was very unappetizing. Even with seasoning, it was still awful, but Lu Yin ate it with satisfaction. He needed strength after a full meal.

The flames suddenly flickered, and Lu Yin quickly drew his iron rod and smashed down hard, killing a Mutant Mantis that had passed through the flames. If this Mutant Mantis had charged into the line, it would have caused significant casualties. Its blades reflected red light, no less formidable than Lu Yin's iron rod.

Throughout the night, Lu Yin only rested for two hours. During that time, he killed over a dozen mutated creatures that attempted to charge the line.

There were no casualties on his side, but it was different in other sections. Dozens of survivors, including Evolvers, were killed in one section by a giant Mutant Boar. That Mutant Boar could shoot hard bristles, and a single volley could take many lives. If not for the intervention of a few stronger Evolvers, the casualties would have been even greater.

As the sun rose, the line continued to move south. They were heading to Jinling, the largest settlement in Jiangsu Province. There were armies, many Evolvers, and Zhou Shan, known as the Huaxia Saint of Punishment.

Half a year of apocalyptic disaster had given birth to many Evolvers, and even more so, to top-tier powerhouses known as the Seven Saints.

Although communication was not smooth, they could still contact each other. Not long ago, Evolvers were clearly classified into ranks: Ordinary Evolvers who had just consumed Crystals; Human Level powerhouses who could crush Ordinary Evolvers; and above them, those with the power to destroy cities, known as Earthshaker Level powerhouses, also called Earth Rank.

At the very top were the Sky-Flying Level powerhouses, who, as the name suggested, could fly, and were also known as Heaven Rank powerhouses. The Huaxia Seven Saints were seven Heaven Rank powerhouses.

After half a year of apocalypse, this was the best classification they could manage. Perhaps in time, there would be a more systematic division, but those seven flying powerhouses, as long as they lived, would always stand at the apex. This was also the origin of the title "Saint." Perhaps it was also the hope of countless survivors for their protection, hence they were called Saints.

The Jinling settlement had one Saint: Zhou Shan, the Saint of Punishment.

The line continued to advance. They were still over a hundred kilometers from Jinling. A journey that would have taken a few hours in peacetime would now take at least several days.

Several miles away from the long line, countless wandering Zombies slowly approached, as if they had smelled living beings.

The Evolvers on both sides of the line were on high alert, many with fearful eyes. Although these Zombies were not fast, they were very strong. Their blood contained potent poison. Once touched, even an Evolver's skin would fester until their consciousness disappeared, turning them into one of them. This was the most terrifying aspect.

Lu Yin narrowed his eyes and gripped his iron rod. Fighting Zombies was not difficult; they always remained the same. Unlike Evolvers who could grow stronger, this was something countless survivors were grateful for. If Zombies could also grow stronger, they would truly have no way to survive.

The biggest enemy of the current survivors was Mutant Beasts.

Just as Lu Yin and the others prepared to fight the horde of Zombies, the Zombies suddenly stopped, turned, and walked away. Lu Yin's heart leaped, a bad premonition rising.

The ground suddenly trembled. In front of the line, a giant Mutant Vine rose from the ground. Its branches and leaves seemed to have a mind of their own, grabbing many survivors. With desperate wails, all the captured survivors were crushed into blood, watering the soil where the vine was rooted.

All the survivors fled in terror, including many Evolvers.

Lu Yin's eyelids twitched. This Mutant Vine had definitely reached the Earth Rank, far beyond the capabilities of an Ordinary Evolver, even if there were Human Level powerhouses in their line.

The Evolvers in the line had no intention of fighting head-on; they all fled backward, avoiding the vine's range.

After a while, the vine seemed to have had its fill and retracted into the ground.

Countless survivors wept, their cries of despair echoing. In such an environment, many would suffer mental breakdowns, including some Evolvers.

Soon, a hoarse static sound came from the walkie-talkie on Lu Yin's waist. "Halt and rest. The Saint of Punishment will personally come to pick us up."

Upon hearing this news, countless people cheered. To the survivors now, Heaven Rank powerhouses were like gods, as if any problem could be solved with their appearance.

Lu Yin sneered, Saints? He clutched his left arm, his entire body still throbbing with a bone-chilling pain, a constant reminder of that night.

An entire city had been abandoned, all remaining conventional weapons unleashed upon it. Screams echoed everywhere as half his body was incinerated. When he looked back, he saw those arrogant eyes and blinding golden light.

Liu Shaoge. He would never forget that man called the Saint of Light, one of the Seven Saints, who had inflicted such extreme agony upon him. Lu Yin swore he would repay this pain tenfold.

As flames rose and the sky darkened, Lu Yin was about to rest when screams and cries erupted not far away.

Lu Yin frowned and turned his head. About a hundred meters away, several girls were surrounded by over a dozen Evolvers, who were taunting them. Several of the girls' clothes were in tatters, and they wept silently.

This scene was not unfamiliar. In the apocalypse, humanity's depravity was normal. Lu Yin had seen it many times. In this environment, wanting protection meant paying a price.

Lu Yin closed his eyes, his mind relaxing slightly.

From afar, a girl screamed as she was slapped to the ground. "Damn it, I risked my life protecting you all. What's wrong with having some fun? Don't be ungrateful. A few days ago, I played with a minor celebrity, and now she begs me to play with her, but I refuse. Get up!"

The girl glared furiously at the Evolver, her eyes red.

The surrounding Evolvers grinned. They loved this era, where they could indulge themselves without consequence.

With a gust of wind, a person appeared before the Evolvers. It was Lu Yin, an iron pipe held to the Evolver's neck. He said calmly, "Scram."

Silence fell. Only the quiet sobs of the girls could be heard.

The Evolver threatened by Lu Yin's expression turned ugly. He gritted his teeth. "Lu, this has nothing to do with you. They're under my protection."

"You're disturbing me," Lu Yin said calmly. The sharp edge of the iron pipe pressed down, instantly cracking the Evolver's skin and drawing blood.

The Evolver was terrified. "Fine, fine. You're ruthless. They're yours. I won't touch them."

Lu Yin withdrew the iron pipe and coldly walked back to his spot. Many people in the group watched this scene silently. They were accustomed to it; no one would have helped even if the girls had been killed. Lu Yin seemed peculiar to them.

The dozen or so Evolvers exchanged angry glances but didn't act rashly. Lu Yin was strong; they knew that.

The girls ran behind Lu Yin, wanting to say something. Lu Yin kept his eyes closed and ignored them. They could only look at him gratefully before cautiously sitting down.

Not long after, a beautiful, scantily clad young woman approached Lu Yin with a smile. Her sharp gaze swept over the girls, scaring them into retreating and lowering their heads in fear.

Satisfied, the beautiful woman sat beside Lu Yin and breathed into his ear.

Lu Yin raised his hand, grabbed her neck, opened his eyes, and said coldly, "One more time, and you die."

The beautiful woman's eyes turned cold, and she forced a seductive smile. "You're still so heartless."

Lu Yin released her, staring at her indifferently. "What is it?"

The woman rubbed her neck and glared at Lu Yin. "Do you know you've made enemies?"

Lu Yin didn't answer.

The woman continued, "Zhang Tong and his group are plotting against you. There are over a dozen Evolvers, and you're alone. You can't handle them. Be careful."

"Thank you," Lu Yin replied faintly.