Chapter 2

Six minutes later, in a dimly lit basement, he looked at the dazed and lifeless eyes of the Two-Tailed Scorpion, feeling satisfied that his torture skills had not declined. The Two-Tailed Scorpion couldn't even last a minute before turning into a babbling fool: "Describe what the world of Evolvers is like."

"The world behind the light, which we call the Black Domain, is where I, the Two-Tailed Scorpion, belong to the Gray Organization..." The Two-Tailed Scorpion recounted every detail, not only introducing the major Evolver organizations in the Black Domain but also spilling many core secrets of the Gray Organization.

He listened quietly, comparing the information with what Yun Luo knew about the world. Occasionally, he asked key questions, and the Two-Tailed Scorpion held nothing back, revealing everything he knew.

The Q&A session lasted for over three hours. He confirmed that he knew all the information about the Black Domain that the Two-Tailed Scorpion knew, and then he smiled slightly. Those who wanted to kill him had no right to live. He extended his right hand, and his true energy condensed into a net. With one claw, he tore open the Two-Tailed Scorpion's head, which burst like tofu pudding.

A gray energy ball, about the size of an egg, was enveloped by the true energy net. Then, the true energy refined the gray energy ball, transforming it into a gray, soft egg that fell into his hand.

This was the protocore, the most pure energy aggregate that only third-level beings possessed. It could only be obtained through special methods and could be harmlessly absorbed by beings of the same level to reduce energy accumulation, strengthen mental and true energy, and accelerate the progression to the next level. Evolvers in the Black Domain also knew about protocores and had been hunting them since ancient times.

In the post-apocalyptic world, he had hunted many third-level zombies, bio-beasts, mutated plants, new humans, mechanical warriors, and genetically modified humans for their protocores, using any means necessary to strengthen himself.

Regardless of the level, a protocore could only be preserved for three days before it dissipated into light. During these three days, the pure energy would continuously dissipate. The smaller the protocore became, the purer the energy. To prevent damage, it needed to be stored in a silver box or a small bag made of silver threads.

Ordinary people would die if they ingested a protocore, as it was highly toxic. However, first and second-level beings could absorb the pure energy to strengthen themselves. For fourth-level beings, ingesting a third-level protocore was useless because the more powerful one became, the purer their energy. For a fourth-level being, a third-level protocore was impure energy, and absorbing it would require additional time to refine and remove the impurities, making it a futile effort.

He casually placed the protocore in his pocket and left the basement, which was an old, unoccupied building.

...

The morning light was bright. Yun Luo, with his black short hair, blue short-sleeved shirt, black long pants, and brown sandals, walked leisurely down the street. The young man in a white tracksuit who passed by him was actually a National Security Bureau agent who had been searching the area last night. Yun Luo stopped at a breakfast cart, buying a fried dough stick, a cup of sweet soy milk, and two steamed buns.

He needed to be frugal with his money, as his girlfriend had given him a limited amount of living expenses before leaving.

Many college students, rushing to their summer graduate school classes, were also walking and eating, just like Yun Luo, leading ordinary lives.

He strolled leisurely, heading home.

...

Yun Luo's 23 years of memories were carefully organized, and he reviewed every important person, memorizing them. There were only five people he truly needed to pay attention to:

An Zhongshu, Su Ran, An Chuyu, An Qingju, and Yan Chenyu.

He disliked trouble. In Huaguo, where the law maintained social stability, even firearms, which were common in the post-apocalyptic world, were banned. To play the role of Yun Luo and blend into this world peacefully, he needed to act accordingly.

Yun Luo was a quiet and introverted person with few friends. He had just graduated from the French Department of Jiangnan University in June and had not sought formal employment. Instead, he rented a two-bedroom, one-living room, one-kitchen, one-bathroom apartment near his alma mater, earning a living by translating between French and Chinese online. He was somewhat of a homebody.

In his first year of college, his father, who ran a small supermarket, fell seriously ill and was hospitalized. Three months later, he passed away. His mother, who worked for the Youth League Committee in Qiantang County, suffered from frequent headaches after his father's death and passed away two months later at the First People's Hospital of Xihu City.

Yun Luo, who had once had a happy family, lost both parents in this way. To pay for their medical expenses, he sold their house and car in Qiantang County, leaving him penniless.

Later, Yun Luo returned to Xihu City and began a life of studying and working part-time. To facilitate his work, he applied for and received the privilege of living off-campus, which was only available to second-year students. He studied French diligently and obtained a Level 8 French proficiency certificate before graduation, which would ensure a stable life.

The five people who influenced Yun Luo the most were all childhood friends, which is why he needed to pay special attention to them.

An Zhongshu and Yun Luo's father were close friends from kindergarten to high school and attended the same university. After graduation, they both returned to Qiantang County to work. Su Ran and Yun Luo's mother were college roommates and best friends. Yun Luo's mother dated his father first, and later, his father introduced An Zhongshu to Su Ran, who became a couple.

Yun Luo was one year older than An Chuyu and three years older than An Qingju, and he was the same age as Yan Chenyu.

Yan Chenyu was always cold and beautiful, the undisputed school beauty. An Chuyu and An Qingju were also beautiful girls.

An Chuyu and An Qingju were the daughters of An Zhongshu and Su Ran, and they had known Yun Luo and Yan Chenyu since childhood. An Zhongshu and Su Ran both taught at Qiantang No. 2 High School, with An Zhongshu teaching Chinese and Su Ran teaching English.

Yan Chenyu's father was also a teacher at Qiantang No. 2 High School, teaching mathematics. He fell ill and passed away when Yan Chenyu was in her third year of junior high school. The An and Yun families had helped with the expenses. After her father's death, Yan Chenyu and her mother, Shui Rou, who worked as an accountant at a factory, moved out of the teachers' building. Shui Rou had a chronic heart condition.

An Chuyu and Yan Chenyu were close friends, and Yan Chenyu and Yun Luo were classmates from kindergarten to high school, even sitting next to each other in their senior year. Yun Luo, Yan Chenyu, An Chuyu, and An Qingju all attended the junior high school and high school of Qiantang No. 2, and they all went to Jiangnan University for college.

These details were not the most critical. The most important fact was that An Chuyu was Yun Luo's official girlfriend, recognized by both the An and Yun families, and they could get married at any time.

An Chuyu and Yun Luo had a good relationship. In their first year of junior high school, An Chuyu, a small girl, had cornered Yun Luo against a wall, threatening to beat him up if he didn't agree to be her boyfriend. Despite Yun Luo's poverty, she never left his side.

Since then, Yun Luo had lived a happy life with his girlfriend managing his living expenses, and An Qingju, his sister-in-law, was in a similar situation.

An Chuyu had always been interested in Yun Luo's gossip from Yan Chenyu. After becoming Yun Luo's girlfriend, Yan Chenyu enjoyed reporting to An Chuyu and watching Yun Luo get scolded.

Sometimes, the person who knows you best is not your friend but your enemy. In Yun Luo's eyes, Yan Chenyu was an enemy.

Now, Yan Chenyu, who had graduated from the Business Administration Department of Jiangnan University, was working at a multinational company. She posed no immediate threat. An Chuyu, his girlfriend, was a senior in the Chinese Department, and her sister, An Qingju, was a sophomore in the Law Department. They had returned to Qiantang County for the summer, and their parents hadn't seen them in a while and missed them dearly.

He carefully reviewed all the memories of Yun Luo and these five people, understanding them thoroughly.

...

Room 302, No. 145 Xueyuan Road, was Yun Luo's home. He had lived there for four years. It was a five-story residential building, and the landlord was a kind man, a Chinese teacher at a primary school.

An Chuyu, An Qingju, and Yan Chenyu all had keys to the house and occasionally stayed overnight in the guest bedroom. Jiangnan University did not have comfortable bathtubs, air conditioning, personal kitchens, or LCD TVs. An Qingju, in particular, had often pouted and wanted to move out of the dormitory to live with her brother-in-law, but An Chuyu had firmly suppressed her.

Thinking of his girlfriend, Yun Luo remembered that An Chuyu was 1.6 meters tall in junior high, 1.7 meters tall in high school, and 1.8 meters tall in college. The fact that his girlfriend was half a head taller than him was sometimes awkward.

An Qingju, on the other hand, was only 1.6 meters tall, petite and delicate, making the sisters look like mother and daughter when standing together.

Yan Chenyu was 1.7 meters tall, with long legs, a curvy figure, a slim waist, and a beautiful face. She had a cold and pure aura, making her an absolute goddess.

In terms of bust size, An Qingju, An Chuyu, and Yan Chenyu were A, C, and E, respectively. The relationship between Yan Chenyu and Yun Luo was quite complex, having changed during the time when his parents were seriously ill in his first year of college. It was as if they had become confidants.

During that dark period, An Chuyu was in her senior year of high school and couldn't leave, so it was Yan Chenyu who quietly accompanied Yun Luo, listening to his sorrows and even hugging him to sleep when he cried. Their relationship had become unclear.

That year marked Yun Luo's painful transformation from a boy to a man, and the one by his side was not his girlfriend, An Chuyu, or his sister-in-law, An Qingju, but his long-time classmate, Yan Chenyu.

Since then, Yun Luo no longer hated Yan Chenyu, even though she still enjoyed reporting to An Chuyu.

...

Yun Luo opened his laptop and a blank document. His fingers danced over the external keyboard, and scattered lines of text appeared in the document. He quietly pondered the information about the Black Domain that the Two-Tailed Scorpion had provided.

The Gray Organization had a slogan: "Everyone is an Evolver."

This was not just empty talk but was based on centuries of scientific research into abilities. The information provided by the Two-Tailed Scorpion was highly valued by Yun Luo, as no one in the post-apocalyptic world had ever proposed this idea.

What is an Evolver?

According to the Gray Organization, an Evolver is someone who possesses abilities, which is not just a tautology.

From an energy perspective, Evolvers possess mental energy that has evolved into mental force, as well as various forms of energy that form another power, known as true energy in the Black Domain. This true energy has magical properties and can manifest in countless ways.

The Gray Organization's scientific research found that even ordinary people, through special mental training, had about a one in twenty chance of forming mental force, though it would take about twenty to thirty years.

Possessing mental force allows one to interfere with reality, becoming a first-level Evolver. This is considered the beginning of the Evolver path.

In the Black Domain, there is a cultivation method called Secret Martial Arts. For an Evolver to become stronger, they must practice Secret Martial Arts. Relying solely on the natural consumption and recovery of abilities to grow is very slow. Only through Secret Martial Arts can mental and true energy be mobilized, absorbing various energy particles from the air and refining them to strengthen mental and true energy.

Secret Martial Arts are divided into mental and true energy types, and there are also beginner, intermediate, advanced, and top-tier levels. Only top-tier Secret Martial Arts can cultivate both mental and true energy.

However, how to artificially form true energy is a silent topic in the Gray Organization. It seems that there is no cultivation method that can make an ordinary person possess true energy.

All Evolvers in the Black Domain recognize that possessing mental force, which can interfere with reality, is considered having abilities and being an Evolver.