Chapter 1

The ravaged earth was riddled with countless cracks, black smoke obscuring the last rays of the setting sun. On the muddy road, countless people struggled forward, their faces etched with despair and fear. From time to time, someone would fall into the cracks, and the cries never ceased.

A long line of survivors, numbering in the tens of thousands, stretched out. On either side, at regular intervals, stood warriors with enhanced bodies, known as Evolvers.

Ever since the sudden disaster struck Earth six months ago, Evolvers had begun to appear.

At the rear of the line, Lu Yin looked up at the distance, his ears filled with a chilling chewing sound. With a roar, a mutated dog, with blood-red eyes and a length of two meters, burst out from behind a burning tree, its mouth dripping with blood, and charged towards the line.

Many survivors screamed in terror at the sight. Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, and he drew a peculiar weapon from his waist. It looked like an iron rod, but one side was sharpened like a blade.

Lu Yin jumped up and swung the rod with one hand, effortlessly severing the mutated dog's head. Blood splattered on the ground, staining the grass red.

The line quieted down upon seeing the mutated dog's death, and they continued forward in fear.

Lu Yin retracted the iron rod and examined it, noticing a few cracks. "It won't last much longer."

As the sun set and darkness fell, all the Evolvers lit fires, which spread along the line, hoping to drive away the mutated beasts. The line stopped moving.

Venturing into the unknown in the dark was akin to courting death.

A raspy static sound came from the walkie-talkie at Lu Yin's waist. "Evolvers with the number three are searching for food within a one-kilometer radius."

Lu Yin's Evolver number was 103. He looked at the mutated dog he had killed, picked it up, and threw it to the front of the line. "Eat."

A commotion arose in the line, and a few men stepped forward to handle the dog, looking as if they were used to it, even though the dog's mouth still had human bone fragments.

One mutated dog was only enough for twenty people. Lu Yin left the fire and, gripping the iron rod, walked away.

The chewing sounds never ceased. In the darkness, pairs of green eyes stared at Lu Yin. These were mutated rats, ugly but edible.

Lu Yin swung the iron rod and killed over a dozen mutated rats, then carried them back to the line. That was enough for his group.

Suddenly, a scream echoed. Lu Yin knew an Evolver had died without even looking. He had no intention of helping, not knowing what had attacked the Evolver—perhaps a venomous snake, a blood-sucking mosquito, or a powerful mutated rat capable of biting through steel. Such creatures were not uncommon in the wild.

The line was quiet, and everyone hid behind the flames, as if a thin layer of fire could truly protect them.

Lu Yin looked at them with pity, then raised his head to the sky. The stars were so brilliant and bright. The air, once polluted, had completely recovered six months ago, but it came with the mutation of countless creatures, including humans.

No one knew what caused the mutation. It seemed to happen overnight, turning creatures into terrifying beings, and many people into mindless, flesh-eating zombies.

The remaining survivors had become somewhat stronger, though the change was not significant. They could grow stronger by consuming the crystals found in mutated creatures, and these were the Evolvers.

Earth seemed to have returned to ancient times overnight, a world of the strong preying on the weak. The vast arsenals that once ruled the planet were almost entirely destroyed. Lu Yin had witnessed the explosion of the weapons depot in his city, as if modern weapons were incompatible with the current era.

A strong wind blew, and a bloodstained newspaper, pinned down by a rock, rustled.

Lu Yin picked up the newspaper and read the headline: "February 3, 2200, a historic day. On that day, the Huaxia Sky Five spacecraft landed on Neptune, and Bai Qian became the first human to explore Neptune. Neptune is a gas giant, and on that day..." Lu Yin threw the newspaper away, and a little girl timidly handed him a roasted animal leg.

Lu Yin took the leg and smiled faintly. "Thank you."

The little girl blushed and ran back to the line.

The leg was hard to eat, even with seasoning, but Lu Yin ate it with satisfaction, knowing he needed the strength.

The flames flickered, and Lu Yin swiftly drew the iron rod and smashed a mutated mantis that had breached the fire. Such mantises, if they entered the line, could cause significant casualties. Their blades glinted red, not inferior to Lu Yin's iron rod.

Lu Yin only rested for two hours that night, during which he killed over a dozen mutated creatures attempting to attack the line.

There were no casualties in his group, but other sections were not so fortunate. In one area, dozens of survivors and Evolvers were killed by a massive mutated wild boar that could shoot hard bristles, capable of taking many lives in a single attack. Without the intervention of a few powerful Evolvers, the casualties would have been even greater.

As the sun rose, the line continued southward, heading to Jinling, the largest gathering place in the province of Jiangsu. There, they would find the military, many Evolvers, and Zhou Shan, known as the Execution Saint of Huaxia.

In the six months since the apocalypse, many Evolvers had emerged, and among them, seven supreme beings known as the Seven Saints.

Although communication was limited, they could still contact each other. Recently, Evolvers were officially classified into different levels: ordinary Evolvers who had just consumed crystals, Human-level Evolvers with the power to dominate ordinary Evolvers, Earth-shaking Evolvers capable of destroying cities, also known as Earth-level Evolvers, and the highest level, Sky-level Evolvers, who could fly.

The Seven Saints of Huaxia were seven Sky-level Evolvers.

In the six months of the apocalypse, this was the only classification system in place. Perhaps a more systematic one would emerge in the future, but as long as those seven Sky-level Evolvers lived, they would remain at the top, the origin of the term "Saint." Perhaps it was also because countless survivors hoped for their protection.

The Jinling gathering place had one Saint, the Execution Saint Zhou Shan.

The line continued forward, still over a hundred kilometers from Jinling. What would take a few hours in peacetime now required several days.

A few miles away, countless zombies slowly approached, as if drawn by the scent of living beings.

The Evolvers on either side of the line were on high alert, many of them fearful. Although the zombies were not fast, they were strong, and their blood was highly toxic. A single touch could cause skin to rot, leading to the loss of sanity and transformation into a zombie. This was the most terrifying aspect.

Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, and he gripped the iron rod. Fighting zombies was not difficult; they remained the same, unlike Evolvers who could grow stronger. This was a source of relief for many survivors. If zombies could also evolve, they would have no chance of survival.

The survivors' greatest enemy was the mutated beasts.

Just as Lu Yin and others prepared to fight the zombie horde, the zombies suddenly stopped and turned to leave. Lu Yin's heart raced, a bad feeling rising within him.

The ground suddenly shook, and a massive vine emerged from the earth ahead, its branches grabbing many survivors. With desperate screams, the captured survivors were crushed into blood, which was absorbed by the soil where the vine was rooted.

All the survivors fled in terror, even many Evolvers.

Lu Yin's eyes twitched. The mutated vine was undoubtedly at the Earth-level, far beyond the capabilities of ordinary Evolvers, even those at the Human level in their group.

The Evolvers in the line did not intend to fight, retreating to avoid the vine's range.

After a while, the vine seemed to have had its fill and retreated into the ground.

Many survivors wept and screamed in despair, some even breaking down mentally, including a few Evolvers.

Soon, a raspy static sound came from the walkie-talkie. "Rest here. The Execution Saint will come to pick us up."

Hearing this, many people cheered. To the survivors, a Sky-level Evolver was like a god, as if their presence could solve any problem.

Lu Yin's face showed a mocking expression. Saint? He covered his left arm with one hand; even now, half his body still ached, a constant reminder of that night.

An entire city was abandoned, and all the undestroyed thermal weapons were unleashed within it. Screams filled the air, and half his body was burned. Looking back, he saw the lofty eyes and blinding golden light.

Liu Shaoge, he would never forget the man known as the Light Saint, one of the Seven Saints, who had inflicted extreme pain on him. Lu Yin swore to repay that pain tenfold.

As the flames rose and the sky darkened, Lu Yin was about to rest when screams and cries came from nearby.

Lu Yin frowned and turned to look. A hundred meters away, several girls were surrounded by over a dozen Evolvers, who were taunting them. Several girls were nearly naked, tears streaming silently.

This scene was not unfamiliar. In the apocalypse, humanity had sunk to its lowest. It was normal, and Lu Yin had seen it many times. In such an environment, protection came at a cost.

Lu Yin closed his eyes and relaxed his mind.

In the distance, a girl screamed and was slapped to the ground. "Damn it, I risk my life to protect you, and you refuse a little fun? Don't be ungrateful. A few days ago, I played with a celebrity, and now she begs me to play with her, but I won't. Get up."

The girl glared at the Evolver, her eyes red with anger.

The surrounding Evolvers laughed, enjoying the era where they could do as they pleased, with no one to stop them.

A gust of wind blew, and an additional person appeared before the Evolvers—Lu Yin. He held the iron rod to the Evolver's neck and said coldly, "Get lost."

Silence fell, and the only sounds were the silent sobs of the girls.

The threatened Evolver's face turned pale. "Lu, this is none of your business. They are under my protection."

"You're disturbing me," Lu Yin said calmly, pressing the sharp edge of the rod. The Evolver's skin split, and blood flowed down the rod.

The Evolver was shocked. "Alright, alright, you win. They're yours, I won't touch them."

Lu Yin retracted the rod and walked back to his spot. Many in the line watched silently, used to such scenes. Even if the girls had been killed, no one would have helped. Lu Yin seemed strange to them.

The dozen Evolvers glared at each other but did not act. Lu Yin was strong, and they knew it.

The girls ran to Lu Yin, wanting to say something, but he ignored them, closing his eyes. They could only look at him gratefully and sit down carefully.

Soon, a young woman with a striking appearance and revealing clothing approached Lu Yin with a smile. Her sharp gaze swept over the girls, scaring them into retreating and bowing their heads in fear.

Satisfied, the woman sat next to Lu Yin and blew into his ear.

Lu Yin grabbed her neck, opened his eyes, and said coldly, "Do that again, and you die."

The woman's eyes turned cold, but she forced a seductive smile. "You're still so heartless."

Lu Yin released her and stared coldly. "What do you want?"

The woman rubbed her neck and glared at Lu Yin. "You've made enemies, you know."

Lu Yin did not respond.

The woman continued, "Zhang Tong and his group are plotting against you. There are over a dozen of them, and you're alone. Be careful."

"Thanks," Lu Yin replied coolly.

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*The stars are about to be stepped upon, and a grander cosmic tapestry will soon unfold! Thank you for your support!*