Chapter 1

A new era has dawned for three hundred years, with heavy leaden clouds enveloping the void for three centuries. The humans of the Sea Blue Planet have almost forgotten that behind those thick clouds lies a sun, radiating light and heat. Occasionally, a beam of scorching sunlight would tear through the clouds, pouring onto the parched earth, but it brought not life, but death.

Humans are no longer as fragile as they once were, but the radiation contained in sunlight is still enough to contaminate ordinary people, turning them into monsters even more terrifying than insect beasts!

Beneath the gray clouds, on the rugged hilltop, a hidden cave lies concealed.

Inside the cave, four fully armed men, their old combat uniforms so worn that their original colors were no longer discernible, exuded a fierce aura.

They had all killed before, and not just once!

A rugged-looking man lay on the gray rock, one hand supporting an old rifle, the other holding a telescope, observing the scene below.

Through the telescope, three disheveled, ragged figures, their ankles chained, lay on the ground, their fates unknown.

The dark red blood stained a large area around them, emitting a strong, pungent smell.

A moment later, the man handed the telescope to a man beside him who was playing with a pistol, took out an old bronze pocket watch from his pocket, and glanced at the time.

"The bait has been in place for one hour and thirty-seven minutes. The anesthetic injected into their bodies is only effective for two hours. Considering the time it takes for the anesthetic to take effect in insect beasts, we have at most twenty minutes left."

As he spoke, the three men near the cave entrance simultaneously looked toward the deepest part of the cave.

A middle-aged man with only one eye, holding an old AK, was dozing with his eyes closed.

The one-eyed man did not open his eyes but seemed to sense the gazes of the three men. He spoke in a low, deep voice:

"Wait ten more minutes. If no insect beasts appear, inject the remaining anesthetic into the bait."

The true target of these anesthetics is the insect beasts. Using them on ordinary people would result in death.

However, for these wilderness hunters who use ordinary people as bait to lure and kill insect beasts, such actions bring no psychological burden.

The only difference is whether the insect beasts prefer live prey or carrion.

"Boss, an insect beast is coming!"

A man observing the situation below suddenly whispered.

"A rotten wolf!"

The one-eyed man in the cave slowly opened his eyes, a dark green light flashing in his remaining eye.

"Prepare for battle. The corpse of a rotten wolf is enough to make the girl at the Black Rock Tavern strip naked and serve us for three days and nights!"

A heavy breathing sound echoed in the cave. For these wilderness hunters who lived on the edge, the only things that could interest them, besides weapons and gene agents, were strong liquor and women.

In Black Rock Town, the only way to obtain these things, besides mining in the mines, was to hunt insect beasts!

Among the insect beasts that appeared near Black Rock Town, the rotten wolf was undoubtedly a dangerous presence.

After three hundred years of contamination and evolution, the animals that dared to hunt in the new era had long transformed from prey into dangerous predators.

The rotten wolf, attracted by the scent of blood, stood as tall as an adult man on all fours, its body comparable to that of a calf in the old era. Its tough fur could withstand bullet damage, and its sharp claws and teeth could easily tear apart a human body.

Ordinary people encountering a rotten wolf in the wild had no hope of survival. The only thing they could do was pray that the rotten wolf would start eating from the head, reducing their suffering and sparing them the agony of watching their body being devoured piece by piece.

The ambushers in the cave watched the approaching rotten wolf from a distance.

The gray rotten wolf's eyes glinted with a fierce light, and putrid mucus dripped from its mouth. It circled the unconscious bait several times, not daring to approach recklessly, like a cautious hunter.

"These things seem to be getting smarter!" the man with the telescope whispered.

Another man squinted, watching the circling rotten wolf, and said calmly:

"No matter how smart insect beasts get, they can't match human intelligence unless they can fully control their instincts!"

"It's starting to approach, preparing to feed. Get ready!"

Neither the rotten wolf nor the ambushers in the cave noticed that one of the unconscious baits had a finger that twitched slightly, as if in a reflex.

In a daze, Qi Yuan finally regained awareness of his body, but the numbness from every part of his body made it impossible for him to control himself.

"Did I get into a car accident? They must have given me a full-body anesthetic for surgery?"

"...No, if I was run over by a truck, how could I still be alive..."

"Am I already dead?"

The moment Qi Yuan realized he was dead, a massive wave of memories flooded his mind.

"The old era... the new era..."

"Mechanics... gene warriors... superhumans... insect beasts... polluters... radiation..."

"Damn! I've been transported to the post-apocalyptic wasteland! This is worse than dying in a car accident!"

After absorbing the flood of memories and realizing his current situation, Qi Yuan couldn't help but curse in his mind.

Just after dying in a car accident, he had to experience survival in the post-apocalypse?

Why didn't I get a golden finger to save me?

Perhaps hearing Qi Yuan's prayer, a mechanical voice suddenly appeared in his consciousness.

"Sign-in on the Sea Blue Wasteland successful!"

"First successful sign-in, you have received a grand gift—Super Life Talent Tree!"

"First successful sign-in, you have received a sign-in reward—1 Talent Point!"

Note: Talent Points can be fused with different items to unlock different superhuman talents!

As the voice sounded, an invisible force surged through his body, instantly clearing the effects of the powerful anesthetic, and his body returned to his control.

Realizing he could move, Qi Yuan did not rashly stand up but remained lying on the ground, motionless.

The numbness in his body made Qi Yuan realize that his situation was not safe, and a fatal danger might be nearby, ready to strike at any moment!

Help—

A scream suddenly rang in his ears, then quickly cut off.

Crunch... Crunch...

The sound of bones being gnawed on intermittently reached his ears, along with a strong, putrid smell.

Insect beast!

Qi Yuan quickly realized that an insect beast was feeding nearby.

Black-toothed rat or rotten wolf?

The former would be easier to deal with, but the latter, even if he became a superhuman, would be hard to survive.

In the memories of the original owner of this body, a rotten wolf was not much weaker than a first-stage superhuman, let alone with a cold chain still around his ankle.

Qi Yuan's eyes opened slightly, and he saw a large gray figure, its head lowered, gnawing on food. He could vaguely see that it was a broken human body, and the scream was clearly the last cry of the prey as it woke up from the anesthetic.

The rotten wolf's green eyes were filled with greedy savagery, its interlocking fangs sharp and fierce, and dark red blood dripped from its teeth, forming a dark red pool on the ground.

A living person was being torn apart and devoured by the rotten wolf!

The mental shock of facing death made Qi Yuan's body cold, but his mind became increasingly calm.

Don't be afraid!

Being afraid means certain death!

Stay calm, and I still have a chance to survive!

Forcing himself to stay calm, Qi Yuan began to examine the Super Life Talent Tree inside him. It was a massive talent tree shaped like a pyramid, with most of it shrouded in a blurry mist. Only the bottom layer revealed a hint of its true form.

It was a series of gray, unlit orbs, like unripe apples hanging on the tree.

Even though it was just the bottom layer, the number of orbs was as numerous as the stars, like an endless sky, impossible to count.

Seeing these orbs, Qi Yuan realized that they represented superhuman abilities!

Each gray orb, when lit, would grant a superhuman ability!

"If I could light up all these orbs, what kind of powerful force would I gain? A god walking among humans?"

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Qi Yuan began to consider how to save himself.

"The talent points from the sign-in reward are key to lighting up the gray orbs, but they also require the consumption of corresponding items for matching. Different items will match different orbs, granting different abilities!"

"The focus of superhuman abilities varies, and not many can solve my current predicament. I only have one talent point, so I must use it wisely."

Qi Yuan tentatively placed his right hand on the ground and tried to bring the talent point close to the soil.

A gray orb became slightly clearer, and a thought appeared in Qi Yuan's mind.

"Do you want to consume one ton of soil and one talent point to light up the talent—Thick Earth Armor?"

"Thick Earth Armor—control the soil to form armor around your body."

Qi Yuan's heart trembled; he could consume soil to light up a talent.

"Thick Earth Armor sounds good and practical. It can directly enhance combat power. Soil is the most common substance in this world, and as long as there is soil, I can form armor to resist damage. It's more suitable for me than abilities like Dark Vision or Underwater Breathing."

"But the current limitation of this ability is obvious. It can't break the chain around my ankle, and a first-stage Thick Earth Armor might not withstand the rotten wolf's bite!"

The rotten wolf's breath grew closer, and Qi Yuan could almost feel its warm breath. As he pondered, a thought flashed through his mind.

"Since touching the soil with my hand allows me to consume soil to light up a talent, can touching the chain with my foot allow me to consume the chain to light up a talent?"

Qi Yuan controlled the talent point to approach the chain around his ankle, and the expected thought quickly appeared.

"Do you want to consume one ton of steel and one talent point to light up the talent—Steel Defense?"

"Steel Defense—powerful steel energy gathers within you, giving you steel-like defensive strength!"

"It works!"

Qi Yuan suddenly became calm. Whether Steel Defense or Thick Earth Armor was stronger didn't matter. The fact that Steel Defense could break the chain around his ankle was enough to make the right choice.

The rotten wolf's breath grew closer, and just as Qi Yuan was about to light up "Steel Defense," the stinky rotten wolf suddenly stumbled, its massive body crashing to the ground beside Qi Yuan, splashing a large amount of blood mixed with soil.

"Why did it suddenly fall?"

Qi Yuan squinted, looking at the fallen rotten wolf. "I haven't even moved, and you fell?"

Is this a scam?

Bang!

A low gunshot broke the silence and interrupted Qi Yuan's thoughts!

The moment the gunshot sounded, the rotten wolf's body clearly trembled, clearly hit.

There are still people hiding!

They are hunting the rotten wolf!

Qi Yuan lay on the ground, squinting, using his peripheral vision to observe the surroundings.

The fallen rotten wolf was still breathing; it was just unconscious, not dead. The shot just now didn't kill it.

As a predator in the wilderness, the rotten wolf, which couldn't be killed by a gunshot, clearly didn't fall unconscious on its own. It must have been the hunters who did something.

Connecting the dots, Qi Yuan quickly understood their method.

They were using live people injected with large doses of anesthetic as bait to lure and kill insect beasts!

"These people, who dare to use human lives as bait, are ruthless and more dangerous than the rotten wolf. If they discover I'm still alive, they will surely kill me to silence me. I need to find a way to deal with them!"

"These people's strength isn't very strong, or they wouldn't use this method to hunt. However, they might have other means. Relying on Steel Defense in this open terrain, I might not escape their pursuit!"

Qi Yuan continued to pretend to be unconscious, waiting for them to approach. Fleeing in this terrain was not a smart choice, and they had guns. Only by waiting for them to get closer and then striking could he have a chance of survival.

A cold wind blew, and Qi Yuan lay on the cold ground, waiting for the opportunity to come.