True Strength

In the ruins of the city after humanity's retreat, the once-bustling streets have been reclaimed by nature. Between the gaps of towering skyscrapers, trees stubbornly break through the soil, their branches spreading to slowly swallow the steel forest. Vines entwine the crumbling walls like chains of time, binding the memories of the past tightly. The roars of monsters echo one after another; they shuttle freely through this ownerless land, having become the new masters. The air is filled with a strange, chilling scent, a mixture of metallic rust and the musk of unknown creatures.

Amidst this desolation, in front of a dilapidated high-rise, the figure of Liu Yun appears exceptionally resolute. He wears a tight-fitting combat suit, his physique agile, showing no fear of the monsters' roars.

The battle blade gripped in his hand glints with a cold, sharp light under the sunset. A shining crystal hangs on his chest; this is his Machine Race Clone, and it is currently struggling to suppress the power within Liu Yun, which in turn has significantly constrained his combat strength.

At this moment, a monster resembling a white fox suddenly darts out from the ruins. Its form is lithe, its fur as white as snow, but its eyes flicker with a bloodthirsty red light. As it moves, gusts of wind whip up, carrying countless dust and debris, as it lunges toward Liu Yun with fierce momentum.

Facing this beautiful yet ferocious monster, Liu Yun feels no fear; instead, his fighting spirit intensifies, and his path to enlightenment begins here. He flashes to the side, skillfully dodging the monster's pounce, and simultaneously swings his blade, carving out a brilliant arc of light aimed directly at the beast's vitals.

However, as the overlord of these ruins, the white fox's speed and cunning far exceed that of ordinary monsters. It seems to have seen through the flashiness of Liu Yun's move, which lacked substance. Just as the blade was about to make contact, it suddenly performed a flexible turn, easily evading the lethal strike. Not only that, but the white fox also seized the opportunity to use the obstacles in the ruins to silently circle behind Liu Yun, preparing to launch a fatal attack.

A true warrior is defined not only by the contest of strength but by a keen perception of the ever-changing battlefield and the ability to respond accordingly. Facing the white fox's ambush, Liu Yun did not choose to meet it head-on. Instead, he flowed with the momentum, his figure flashing again to skillfully brush past the attack while his mind stirred, mobilizing the Psychic Power within him that was also being severely suppressed.

"Go!" Liu Yun let out a low shout. Seven Reverse Scale Flying Knives responded to his call, instantly shooting out from the special device on his waist. They transformed into seven silver streaks of lightning, tearing through the air straight toward the white fox. Under the control of his Psychic Power, these flying knives seemed to possess a spirit of their own; they flexibly changed their trajectories in mid-air, ultimately piercing the white fox's body simultaneously from different angles.

The white fox let out a shrill, miserable cry, the bloodthirsty red light in its eyes instantly dimming. Its massive body crashed heavily to the ground under the impact of the flying knives, unable to move again. A faint scent of blood filled the air, weaving together with the metallic rust and the musk of unknown creatures in the ruins to create a unique atmosphere.

Liu Yun stood where he was, his gaze cold and profound. He gently sheathed his battle blade and retrieved the flying knives, clearly still analyzing the gains and losses of the encounter.

"It's a pity that strike missed. My martial arts are still too sloppy after all! But if it weren't for the Machine Race Clone suppressing my power, there shouldn't have been any need for such trouble..."

He was very bothered by that strike which he had been certain would land. The fact that it missed and gave this Beast General-level monster an opening filled him with immense self-loathing.

He knew well that in this perilous world of ruins, every moment of negligence could be fatal. Thus, he secretly resolved to practice his martial arts even harder, tempering every move and stance until they were flawless, leaving no openings for his enemies.

Liu Yun did not intend to rely entirely on the computational assistance of the Machine Race Clone; he possessed the heart of a warrior, and therefore, minor failures were acceptable.

Liu Yun had always believed that true strength was not about overwhelming force, but an unyielding heart. As long as one possessed this heart, one could always achieve an increase in strength through a belief forged in hardship! Everything would get better.

"I will make every swing of my blade an unavoidable death sentence." Liu Yun whispered to himself. This was his first battle without computer assistance, and looking at the results, it wasn't bad—after all, he hadn't even used his full strength.

Just then, the sky suddenly underwent a strange change. The dim horizon was torn apart by a dazzling flash of fire. A fire bird, its entire body burning with raging flames, descended from the sky. Its wings spread wide like two burning infernos, illuminating the entire ruin in a deep red.

Under Liu Yun's stunned gaze, the fire bird suddenly dove down, its sharp talons grabbing the white fox's carcass before flapping its wings and disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

"Damn it! Little Red, get back here! I still have a use for that fox carcass!"

Liu Yun was furious. He called this fire bird Little Red; it turned out this bird was the very egg of the Undying Bird he had found earlier.

The white fox's strength was at the Beast General level, so its carcass was naturally very precious. Liu Yun had intended to keep it to sell for money. The holes in the fur were a bit of a problem, but such a powerful fox would still fetch a good price.

Who would have thought it would be snatched away by this fire bird? This fire bird, named Little Red by Liu Yun, had been tamed by him using Psychic Power and had become his battle pet, helping him fight here all along.

Just as he was complaining, a familiar sound of flapping wings approached from afar. Little Red had actually flown back, with the white fox still dangling from its sharp beak.

It seemed to be showing off its "trophy" to Liu Yun. Seeing this, Liu Yun couldn't help but laugh, his anger instantly dissipating by more than half.

"You little guy, you really are someone to love and hate at the same time." Liu Yun scolded softly, his eyes full of doting affection.

He reached out his hand, and Little Red landed lightly on his arm, rubbing its warm beak against the back of his hand as if apologizing or seeking forgiveness.

Liu Yun had a sudden inspiration and thought of a win-win solution—a way for everyone to share the meal.

"Little Red, you and I are all we have in this world, and you are the only one I can trust! Since you like this fox so much, let's enjoy this feast together."

Amidst the ruins, Liu Yun poured his heart out to the fire bird. There were few people he trusted; besides his younger sister who was still in school, there was only this newly hatched bird.

Monsters were often more reliable than people. Liu Yun no longer cared for grand ambitions; such things were ultimately empty names that couldn't support a person for long. Only the small, incremental joys of life could allow him to regain the strength to cultivate and seek enlightenment.

Little Red seemed to understand Liu Yun's words, chirping excitedly before flapping its wings to lead Liu Yun to a relatively safe corner of the ruins. There, a pile of withered wood and discarded metal plates happened to form a natural barbecue grill.

Liu Yun acted quickly, using materials from the ruins to build a simple fire pit and carefully igniting the flames. Little Red stayed busy on the side, using its scorching flames to add fuel to the fire. The flames danced, illuminating the busy figures of the man and the bird.

Before long, the white fox's carcass was set over the fire. Little Red's flames wrapped around it perfectly, the skin gradually turning golden and crispy, releasing an enticing aroma. Liu Yun busied himself with the meat, cutting it into bite-sized pieces and sprinkling it with aged spices he had found in a ruined supermarket. Although crude, it had a unique flavor. Spices were generally durable; mummies were made with them and could last for thousands of years, so eating them now was perfectly fine.

Just at this moment, a fuzzy signal suddenly came through on Liu Yun's communication watch. Liu Yun frowned; it was a call from Glinda.

"Great War God Liu Yun? Finally have time to pay attention to me. You didn't even tell me when you took the mission! I'm calling to inform you that we have collected all the materials you requested, and there's even double the amount of supplies."

This was Glinda's unique, crisp, and slightly exotic-sounding Chinese. Usually, Liu Yun didn't pay much attention to Glinda's attempts to recruit him, but this time, the news filled him with joy.

"Really? That's great! My dear Ms. Glinda, just put them in the basement of my villa!"

Liu Yun spoke excitedly to the audio-only watch. With one more upgrade, he could become an invincible War God; becoming a council member might not even be impossible.

This was truly helpful. Those supplies were worth a fortune in this chaotic era. Liu Yun felt a twinge of gratitude toward Glinda, but his emotions were too obvious in his tone, and Glinda, hearing this, began to scheme against him without hesitation.

"...(Signal interference)..."

"...Yes, yes, right in your... basement... we... mid-level War General..."

The signal here was poor, and Glinda's words to Liu Yun were intermittent. Because of the double supply shipment, Liu Yun had to patiently listen, and he felt a bit more affinity toward the HR Alliance, after all, he had managed to fleece them.

"We have selected four teammates for you; they are all mid-level War Generals from major families. Remember to look after them!"

Glinda took advantage of the connection before it cut off completely to say this, then hung up the phone without giving Liu Yun a chance to respond.

"What? Mid-level War Generals? What use are they? They're only slightly stronger than I am now!"

Liu Yun frowned upon hearing this. They were too weak, but it was truly difficult for him to become a War God—War Gods all had deep-rooted connections behind them! Considering the supply issue with Glinda, Liu Yun couldn't flatly refuse, so he could only plan to make these unlucky kids give up on their own later.