The vast grassland stretched endlessly. For dozens of kilometers around, there was no sign of human life. In front of a half-old pickup truck, a tall, slender young man in a dark gray coat was facing off against a mutated wolf whose size was twice his.
The mutated wolf paced back and forth restlessly, letting out long howls from time to time to call for its companions.
The young man had followed the tracks of this level-five mutated wolf for an entire day and finally found it an hour ago when it had been in the middle of hunting.
This mutated wolf was very cunning. Sensing that the young man was hard to deal with, it had kept running away, letting out long cries to call for others. Only when one finally responded just moments ago did it stop.
Completely different from the wolf’s agitation, the young man stood calmly in place with a long blade in his hand, observing the mutated beast. This was a physically-enhanced mutated wolf, its size more than double what it had been pre-mutation. The young man carefully searched for the right moment to strike the wolf’s vulnerable point.
A long answering howl came from afar. Judging from the sound, it seemed that this mutated wolf’s companions were almost here. The wolf before him suddenly let out a low growl, which was unusual, then leaped at the man. The young man stretched out a leg and kicked the mutated wolf right on the head. The wolf yelped as its body flew outward, rolling on the ground before climbing up again to pounce at him once more.
The young man’s figure suddenly vanished. The mutated wolf lunged at empty air and spun anxiously on the spot, not understanding why the human in front of it had disappeared. Suddenly, sensing something unusual at its ear, before it even had time to open its mouth to attack, the young man’s figure appeared at its side, his long blade already piercing through the mutated wolf from its lower jaw.
The wolves’ cries grew louder and closer. The young man pulled the blade forcefully out of the wolf’s body and looked around. In the distance, several mutated wolves were already charging toward him.
With a leap, the one running in the front arrived first and immediately pounced at the man. The young man swiftly dodged and struck back with a single slash. The blade landed squarely on the mutated wolf’s back with tremendous force, splitting its body cleanly in an instant.
After dealing with the first wolf, the young man immediately pulled out the handgun at his waist. Pang pang pang pang!!!! He fired at the wolves arriving one after another. The ones running at the back saw their companions fall and immediately tried to flee, but the young man gave them no chance, swiftly and neatly finishing off every mutated wolf attempting to escape; each shot accurately striked a wolf’s head.
Gunshots mixed with wolf cries echoed far, far across the grassland.
The young man holstered his gun back at his waist, picked up his long blade from the ground, and began collecting the crystal cores from the wolves’ heads.
Puchi. Following the pierced wound at the jaw, he cut open the head of the physically-enhanced mutated wolf, took out the crystal core inside, then used his ability to store the wolf’s corpse into his space. He placed this physically-enhanced wolf separately from the others. The young man was very satisfied, twelve mutated wolves in total. Not a bad harvest this time.
As the sun set in the west, the scenery on the grassland was beautiful and peaceful, showing none of the devastation of the apocalypse, only tranquil beauty.
While driving, the young man calculated that this mutated wolf should be enough to raise his ability to level five. The car stereo was still playing popular music from five years ago. In a good mood, the young man hummed along from time to time.
This d*mned ability… five years, and it was still only high-level tier four. Levelling up was getting slower and slower.
The young man in the car was exactly Qi Yue. He had left five years ago, and unexpectedly encountered Sun Yang on the road, along with Oak who was traveling with him. Sun Yang had been searching for his older brother, and since both he and Oak had no specific destination, Qi Yue invited them to accompany him to the place he was going. The two readily agreed.
After a period of observation, Qi Yue found that Sun Yang, like his brother, was righteous and warm-hearted. Oak was also someone one could entrust their heart to.
Qi Yue did not hide his ability from them, and he was responsible for meals during the journey. In return, Oak taught Qi Yue and Sun Yang martial skills. Rather than “martial arts,” they were more like killing techniques; Oak had once been a world-renowned assassin. Every move he taught was ruthless and deadly, and he taught with extreme seriousness.
They divided tasks during their journey and cooperated with exceptional tacit understanding. After almost three months, they finally arrived.
This place was far from any city, bordering the grassland. Life was peaceful and calm. When nothing was happening, Oak often trained the other two, leaving Qi Yue and Sun Yang complaining endlessly. But after several years, Qi Yue’s skills improved rapidly and his courage grew. This long-delayed confidence allowed him to see many things more clearly and become more mature, shedding his former timidity and inferiority.
His delicate features had grown more mature and handsome. His once pale skin had been replaced by a healthy bronze tone. What surprised him even more was that, perhaps due to constant training, he had even grown taller likely late development.
His level-four kitchen-type ability still hadn’t given him any offensive skills, but he was very satisfied. Those unique ability functions brought him plenty of joy on their own.
Unexpectedly, after living together for several years, those two actually fell for each other. Finding someone to love in the apocalypse wasn’t easy. Qi Yue was genuinely happy for them. Thankfully, he had met them, having friends felt wonderful.
After traveling urgently through the night, nearing noon and close to their destination, Qi Yue stopped the car, opened the back compartment, and placed the mutated wolf corpses he had stored in his space inside.
After another half hour of driving, they arrived at a small base at the edge of the grassland. Calling it a base was generous; it was tiny, more like a settlement. Only a few hundred people lived here, most long-term residents who all knew one another. People here hunted mutated beasts on the grassland and exchanged them at big bases for supplies.
This was a place he had heard others mention, peaceful and calm. Hunting mutated beasts on the grassland had become his favorite pastime.
As soon as the pickup approached the settlement gate, the guards had already opened it. Smiling, they called out to the man inside the car: “How was the harvest this time?”
“Not bad. Got a few mutated wolves.” Qi Yue stuck his head out and tossed over a box of cigarettes.
“Nice, kid. You never come back empty-handed. Thanks, we’ve been out for days and it’s been torture.” Cigarettes were precious and hard to get. The guard caught them with a grin.
“No need for thanks. I trouble you every time.”
The settlement had been a small village before the apocalypse. Afterward, tall walls were built. Because the location was remote, few people came here, making it quite safe. They had never encountered a large swarm of zombies.
The car drove straight to the deepest part of a narrow alley. Getting out, Qi Yue entered the courtyard beside the vehicle.
A young man heard the sound of the engine and came out of the house. Concerned, he asked, “You’re back. Was everything okay on the road?” His complexion was pale, with a sickly look.
“It was fine. Did you take your medicine? Why aren’t you better yet? Where’s Oak?” Qi Yue fired off questions one after another. That guy usually protected his wife like a treasure.
“He went out to look for Da Zhuang. He’ll be back later.” The man’s voice sounded weak and lacking energy.
“If you’re not feeling well, go lie down. I’ll make dinner. What do you want to eat?” Qi Yue urged him to rest quickly.
Sun Yang smiled and said, “Anything is fine. As long as you make it, I like eating it.”
“Mm, got it. I’ll definitely make your favorite. Go on, get inside.” Qi Yue was a little worried, Sun Yang’s health had deteriorated recently. He hoped it was nothing serious. When Oak returned, he would have to ask him properly.
