Postmodern Civilization

Tang Yu had no plans to go to school the next morning. He wanted to make some money in Ruins City. Late that night, instead of cultivating desperately, he calmed his mind and rested up. With nothing else to do, he picked up a copy of Postmodern Civilization and began leafing through it.

The progress of the times and the development of technology could not be separated from the tempering of war and smoke. The vigorous development of human civilization over the past few centuries had mainly been driven by three factors.

The Great Cataclysm period: Resource depletion, frequent wars, and rampant disease caused the human population to plummet from over ten billion to just over three billion, a direct drop of two-thirds. Yet this was also a turning point. The physical condition of the surviving humans was far better than during the Great Cataclysm. Nearly every human's strength, speed, cell activity, and bodily functions had improved severalfold. Even an ordinary person could easily break the world records of the past.

However, the Great Cataclysm affected not only humanity itself, but also the other living creatures on Earth. The surviving beasts and birds had also mutated. Some grew massive enough to rival prehistoric monsters, while others developed fangs and claws that were nearly impervious to blades and bullets. The firearms humanity had once taken pride in were like tickling them, effective only against lower-level creatures. Ruins City was formed during this period.

The period of foreign civilization intervention: Humanity first landed on Venus and discovered a large number of extraterrestrial civilization ruins there. While absorbing alien technology, humanity also realized its own insignificance. Internal integration began, planets were colonized, and all of this laid a solid foundation for the establishment of the Federal Government. Afterward, humanity landed on Jupiter and discovered that its environment had undergone tremendous changes, transforming it into a habitable planet.

After the Federal Government was established, it immediately began addressing humanity's internal problems. Population bases were built and safe zones established. Earth had twenty-one population bases and three large safe zones. Suhang City in the Asian Zone was one of those twenty-one population bases.

The period of resource expansion: For nearly a century, humanity had been in a period of rapid expansion, absorbing and utilizing the resources within the Solar System while expanding into the broader Milky Way, establishing its own interstellar transfer bases, and continuously discovering the ruins of alien civilizations. Yet strangely, even with humanity's technology so advanced today, it still had not truly come into contact with any surviving advanced alien civilization. Although life-bearing planets had been discovered, most remained in primitive eras, with feudal social systems.

At the first light of dawn, Tang Yu drove his secondhand pickup truck, which he had bought for thirty thousand dollars, toward Ruins City with his Wolverine in tow. Today, he was going to hunt a Level 2 mutant, the Colorless Python! It was valuable prey. Its skin could be used to make invisibility cloaks, and its gallbladder was a precious medicinal ingredient. Those two items alone were worth more than a hundred thousand Federal Credits.

The Colorless Python was comparable to a Force Warrior with a human gene count of 200. It was called a Colorless Python because its body was almost transparent. With waterways crisscrossing Ruins City, its habitat was practically perfect. Even while wearing armor, Tang Yu did not dare let his guard down.

But a beast was still a beast, inferior to humans. With the Wolverine armor and his many methods, Tang Yu still had the strength to fight it!

Snake egg fluid and Revealing Powder were essential for luring a Colorless Python. Once it caught the scent of the snake egg fluid, it would take the bait, while the Revealing Powder could force it to reveal itself. After setting everything up, Tang Yu lay prone in a ruined house with a high-explosive sniper rifle in hand, quietly waiting for the fish to bite.

One hour passed. Then two hours. Tang Yu did not feel the slightest impatience. A veteran hunter needed enough patience.

During that time, two three-headed hounds came over to sniff at the snake egg fluid Tang Yu had scattered and pawed at it a few times. There was also a four-clawed fish lingering nearby for a long while, but perhaps out of instinctive fear, it had long since moved away.

"It's hooked!" A smile finally appeared at the corner of Tang Yu's mouth. No matter how well the Colorless Python disguised itself, the ripples on the water's surface had betrayed it. But Tang Yu did not rush to fire. He would wait until the Colorless Python ate the mixture of snake egg fluid and Revealing Powder and revealed itself before pulling the trigger. That would ensure nothing went wrong. Given the Colorless Python's tenacious vitality, even if it was shot, it might still escape!

Now!

Bang!

A thunderous explosion rang out, striking the Colorless Python directly at its vital point. Its fiery red body thrashed wildly in the water as it seemed about to slip away. How could Tang Yu let it escape?

He hurriedly put on the Wolverine armor that had been lying beside him, then leaped with all his strength, crossing more than thirty meters. His wolf claw slashed down fiercely, ripping open the Colorless Python's belly. He removed its gallbladder, skinned it, and carefully stored everything away.

"Screech..."

A sharp cry rang out as a two-headed falcon dove straight toward Tang Yu. It must have caught the scent of the Colorless Python's flesh and blood and come to feed.

The moment he saw it, Tang Yu inwardly cursed. This two-headed falcon was a Level 3 mutant and extremely difficult to deal with. Its entire body was impervious to blades and bullets, and its talons and beak were razor-sharp. One strike from it might not break through the Wolverine's defenses, but the force alone would be enough to jolt Tang Yu's organs out of place and send his blood surging.

It sounded like a long sequence of events, but it all happened in an instant. Tang Yu instinctively turned to run. The Colorless Python's flesh was useless to him anyway. But the two-headed falcon did not see it that way. In its eyes, Tang Yu was trying to steal its food. Ignoring everything else, it attacked Tang Yu directly.

"Clang..."

Their claws collided with a metallic crash. Tang Yu, clad in armor, was sent flying backward by the impact. Their strength was simply not on the same level!

Run! Run! Run!

Tang Yu had only one thought in his mind: run. Facing the two-headed falcon, he had no chance of fighting it. He fled for his life, but how could a man outrun a bird? When he passed a subway station, he dove inside without a second thought. Sure enough, the two-headed falcon did not pursue him. It, too, feared that someone else would steal its food.

"Cough, cough..."

After removing his visor, Tang Yu broke into a violent coughing fit and spat out a mouthful of clotted blood. Only then did he feel somewhat better. Yet his face remained deathly pale, and his chest felt as though it had been smashed by a sledgehammer. His internal organs ached so badly that he felt like vomiting.

"Brother, we've got work!"

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the dark subway tunnel. Two people clad in D-class armor approached him with serrated swords in hand. Their armor had clearly been modified beyond recognition.

"Muggers?"

Tang Yu inwardly cursed his terrible luck. To run into robbers even in this situation—his luck was truly beyond words!

"You're a smart one, brother! Leave your things behind, take off your armor, and we'll spare your life!"

Tang Yu's heart sank when he heard that. In Ruins City, being without armor was no different from death.

"You want me dead!" Tang Yu forced himself to his feet and coldly stared at the two men. A fierce battle was unavoidable.

"What are you saying, brother? Murder means paying with your life. We brothers would never do such a thing!" The two seemed in no hurry to attack. Tang Yu was clearly seriously injured, so they could afford to have a little fun first.

While the two were talking, Tang Yu swallowed a black crystal hanging from his chest.

"Good stuff. Hand it over!" Such an obvious movement could not escape their notice. They immediately moved to snatch it, but how could Tang Yu let them have their way?

With a click, Tang Yu put on his visor. He seemed like a completely different person, showing no sign of injury whatsoever. Anyone who knew his secret had to die!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Metallic impacts rang out one after another. Tang Yu, clad in armor, was like an untiring steel war god. His claws slammed repeatedly against the enemy's serrated swords. A force exceeding 1,500 kilograms was not something just anyone could withstand.

"Damn it, why is he so fierce?" The two men were dumbfounded. He had suffered such severe injuries, yet he was still this powerful!

"Second Brother, load the armor-piercing rounds!"

Tang Yu did not even need to hear the words. He had already seen the other man raise a gun barrel and begin loading armor-piercing bullets. Such bullets were expensive, but their power was nothing to underestimate. One shot was enough to break through armor defenses. Tang Yu knew he had to end this quickly. Without regard for anything else, he bit through the tip of his tongue, allowing the black crystal in his mouth to be stained with his blood. Instantly, Tang Yu's combat strength rose another level, surpassing 2,000 kilograms. With a single blow, he knocked the serrated sword from the man before him, then spun around and delivered a sweeping kick that slammed him into a reinforced concrete wall.

Crack!

In the next instant, Tang Yu's claws gripped the gun barrel of the man called Second Brother. With a hard squeeze, he crushed it into scrap metal.

Squelch!

The wolf claws on Tang Yu's armor were like the scythe of death, plunging directly into the man's visor. Blood instantly filled the armor's helmet. The visor was the weakest part of armor. It could block ordinary bullets, but it could not withstand Tang Yu's strike. Before Second Brother could even retaliate, Tang Yu had killed him!

"Ah! You dared to kill my brother! I'll fight you to the death!"

Seeing his biological younger brother's face pierced through by Tang Yu's claw, the man embedded in the wall suddenly broke free. Raising his serrated sword, he thrust it toward Tang Yu's visor, intending to repay him in kind!

Unfortunately, Tang Yu gave him no chance. With the black crystal's aid and the nourishment of his own blood, Tang Yu's combat strength at that moment would not have been inferior even against the two-headed falcon.

He raised a hand and caught the opponent's serrated sword, then yanked hard and dragged him over. Another thrust followed, and his claws pierced through the visor, killing him!

Boom!

At that moment, Tang Yu seemed to have been drained of all his strength. His massive armored body crashed to the ground.

"Hello, Meng Xuanxuan... I'm in Ruins City... This is my location. Come save me..." Tang Yu had no relatives or friends. Now, he could only ask her for help. After making the call, he fell unconscious.

Tang Yu could sense that he was not dead. He struggled to wake up, but his brain would not obey him. Left with no choice, he could only sink into a peaceful sleep. He did not know how long he slept before he slowly regained consciousness.

The first thing he did upon waking was feel for the black crystal on his chest. Thankfully, it was still there.

He looked over his surroundings. This should be Meng Xuanxuan's apartment. Even the bedding was pink, making Tang Yu feel a little uncomfortable. Just as he tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness washed over him.