A Matter of Convenience

Above the ruins of City 003, thick clouds obscured the starlight, with only the pale moonlight occasionally filtering through the gaps to cast mottled light upon the devastated streets.

Lin Fan's figure was like a black phantom, skimming rapidly across the ground and moving silently through the shadows of leaning skyscrapers.

The ambush by that elite squad had not slowed his pace.

On the contrary, the slaughter had made him more clear-headed and fueled the fire in his heart to "make some money."

"Here."

Lin Fan stopped on the rooftop of a high-rise and looked ahead.

A massive black shadow gradually revealed its imposing form within the mist; it was an abandoned stadium.

The rusted steel dome pierced the sky, and the shattered glass curtain walls reflected a dull glow under the faint moonlight.

This place had once been a symbol of the brilliance of human civilization, but now it was entangled in dense vines and had become a paradise for monsters.

With a few agile strides, Lin Fan landed lightly on the edge of the highest tier of the stands.

His combat boots pressed into the thick moss without making a single sound.

Lin Fan scanned the central arena below, his gaze finally resting in the middle of the stadium.

A creature with a physique so streamlined it was nearly perfect lay lazily atop a pile of white bones.

It was silver-gray all over, its fur flowing with a mercury-like luster in the darkness, and the crescent-shaped patch of white hair on its forehead exuded an eerie aura.

"An elementary-level lord, the Silver Moon Dire Wolf..."

This thing was a terrifying existence known for its speed and cunning; in terms of how troublesome it was, it was actually far above that Black Rock Giant Ape which only knew how to use brute force.

After all, if you couldn't beat a Black Rock Giant Ape, you could still run, but if you were targeted by a Silver Moon Dire Wolf and couldn't win, you might as well just wait to die on the spot—you certainly wouldn't outrun it.

Lin Fan examined the Silver Moon Dire Wolf carefully.

"This hide, these claws, and that heart..."

"There isn't a single part of this guy that isn't valuable."

Just as these thoughts crossed Lin Fan's mind, the Silver Moon Dire Wolf, which had been lying there as if asleep, suddenly twitched its ears.

Its eyes, glowing with a ghostly green light, snapped open and locked onto Lin Fan on the stands.

"Huh? It noticed me?"

"Awooo!!"

A shrill howl instantly echoed throughout the stadium, the sound waves surging outward like a physical force, causing the surrounding glass shards to rattle and clatter.

Immediately after, the Silver Moon Dire Wolf didn't give Lin Fan any time to react.

It slammed its four limbs downward and charged toward Lin Fan.

In Lin Fan's eyes, he couldn't even see the Silver Moon Dire Wolf's figure; he could only see a silver-white afterimage instantly tearing through the darkness as it rushed toward him.

This speed was already close to the speed of sound, completely exceeding the limit of what an ordinary War God's retina could capture!

Lin Fan's pupils constricted. Although the Silver Moon Dire Wolf's momentum was intimidating, he had no intention of avoiding the brunt of the attack.

If he retreated now, his momentum would dissipate, and he might suffer a major loss against a speed-type lord like this.

Therefore, he had to be faster and more ruthless than it!

Whoosh.

The Sky Splitter on Lin Fan's back vibrated violently, silver-white light flowing behind him, and then his entire body instantly took flight.

Crack!

Just as he soared into the sky, the concrete railing where he had been standing was instantly pulverized, sending stone fragments flying.

The Silver Moon Dire Wolf missed its strike, but it didn't stop for a second.

It kicked off the vertical wall with all four paws, using the reaction force to forcibly turn in mid-air, its sharp claws bringing a shrill whistle as it tore through the air to strike at Lin Fan in mid-air once again.

This kind of mid-air maneuver, which defied common sense, was the creature's most terrifying killing move.

It wanted to force you to jump to avoid the attack, and that was exactly when it would bare its fangs.

But...

This time, the situation was completely reversed; Lin Fan had been waiting for this very moment.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Fan's eyes as 108 feather blades instantly flew out, rapidly assembling in the air until a roc appeared before him.

The first stage of the Sky-Splitting Escape Method.

"Shadow Sweep!"

The moment the roc took form, it blasted toward the Silver Moon Dire Wolf's abdomen.

Copper head, iron bones, tofu waist.

This was the eternal weakness of the wolf race; even after mutation, their physiological structure could not change.

"Die!!"

The Silver Moon Dire Wolf twisted its body frantically in the air, its thick tail sweeping horizontally like a steel whip in an attempt to block the roc.

But how could its claws withstand a roc composed of feather blades?

The roc tore through its blocking right claw and then pierced straight into its abdominal cavity.

The excruciating pain drove the Silver Moon Dire Wolf into a frenzy, the green light in its eyes instantly turning into a bloodthirsty crimson.

But under the ravaging of the roc, its body lost its momentum in the air and plummeted toward the ruins below.

Watching the falling Silver Moon Dire Wolf, Lin Fan, who was still hovering higher up, curled his lips.

He gripped the Calamity tightly in both hands and descended from the sky like a meteorite!

Enduring the agony in its abdomen, the Silver Moon Dire Wolf looked up in terror, only to see that pitch-black blade light magnifying infinitely within its pupils.

Lin Fan unleashed the full power of his body, combined with the heavy downward pressure of his spiritual force, focusing all his strength into this one strike.

"Mountain Collapse!"

Squelch!

One strike, one beast severed.

Boom.

Lin Fan and the headless corpse of the Silver Moon Dire Wolf landed simultaneously in the center of the stadium.

Thud.

The Silver Moon Dire Wolf's massive head rolled to the side, its eyes staring fixedly at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan twirled the Calamity to shake off the blood droplets on the blade, looking indifferently at the corpse beneath his feet.

"What's the use of being fast?"

"Once your movement is predicted, it's just a matter of one strike."

The battle had ended faster than he had imagined.

The power of the Sky Splitter and the Calamity was simply too terrifying; he hadn't even used much effort to take down this elementary-level lord.

Recalling all the feather blades, Lin Fan walked over to the Silver Moon Dire Wolf's corpse.

"Time to carve, time to carve~~"

When the first rays of dawn pierced through the thick clouds and spilled onto the ruins of City 003, Lin Fan finally stopped his hunt.

By now, he looked as if he had been fished out of a pool of blood.

His combat suit was long since soaked through with dark red blood, which had dried into a hard crust.

His originally dark-gray alloy combat boots were now stained a deep, near-black crimson; every step he took left a deep footprint on the ground.

The massive, complimentary backpack on his back was now so bloated it was on the verge of bursting.

The camouflage fabric was stretched to its limit, revealing the outlines of the hard objects inside.

And the space ring on his finger was already piled high with a small mountain of monster materials.

Lin Fan raised his hand and casually wiped the undried blood from his cheek.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the city that still appeared ferocious and terrifying in the morning light.

The roars of beasts in the distance had become sparse; the arrival of daylight had caused most nocturnal monsters to go into hiding.

"I still need to pack some things in the bag, otherwise it'll look too fake."

Lin Fan glanced back at the backpack.

"This should do."

Standing on a broken bridge of the highway, he confirmed that his getup was fine, then turned and sprinted toward the supply base.