Chapter 3

Zhongshan Mountain was hollowed out, and inside was a vast space filled with modern facilities, leaving hundreds of Evolvers in awe.

Teams of Evolver soldiers walked by, carrying standard-issue steel knives, a strange blend of the modern and the ancient.

As the Evolvers grew stronger, ordinary firearms became less effective than cold weapons, and with many weapon arsenals destroyed, being equipped with standard-issue steel knives already demonstrated the uniqueness of the penal camp.

Lu Yin and others were escorted to a huge square, surrounded by circles of Evolver soldiers, including many female soldiers who looked at them with solemn expressions.

Above the square, about ten meters up, was a layer of transparent glass, inside which was another vast space.

At that moment, a few men and women were laughing and looking down from near the glass.

"I wonder if we can recruit a few useful ones this time. Even if they don't reach the Human Rank, they shouldn't be too bad," a middle-aged man said in a deep voice.

"Don't get your hopes up. The Human Rank isn't that easy to achieve. The few Human Rank captains in this team have already been arranged by Execution Saint Xingsheng. You and I didn't get any," a woman with a charming demeanor said, dissatisfied.

"It's not impossible. Protecting tens of thousands of survivors to reach Jinling from so far away wasn't easy. I value these people highly. You don't have to give them all to me," a young man on the other side said with a smile.

"Don't dream. See how Feng Hong arranges it. He's the instructor this time, and he'll take the biggest share," the middle-aged man said.

These few were all Ten-Thousand-Man Commanders of the penal camp. The penal camp had 80,000 registered Evolvers, and only those who reached the Earth Rank could become Ten-Thousand-Man Commanders. Reaching the Ten-Thousand-Man Commander rank made one a dominant force in Jinling, second only to Execution Saint Xushan.

To the millions of survivors in Jinling, the Execution Saint was rarely seen, and the Ten-Thousand-Man Commanders were like gods.

"Have you heard that Snow Saint Luosheng's Snow Woman is coming to Jinling? She will spar with us. Who do you plan to send?" the charming woman suddenly asked, smiling at the others.

The others remained silent, not intending to respond.

The charming woman laughed, "It's rumored that Snow Saint Luosheng announced that Snow Woman is invincible at the Earth Rank. Don't you want to see for yourselves?"

The others still didn't speak.

The charming woman smiled and said no more.

Snow Saint Luosheng, standing on the snowy mountain, founded the Blue Camp. Although she was listed among the Seven Saints alongside Execution Saint Xushan, her status was actually above Xushan.

To outsiders, the Seven Saints of Huaxia were of equal status, but only a few knew that the Seven Saints were divided into the Upper Three Saints and the Lower Four Saints. Snow Saint Luosheng was one of the Upper Three Saints, while Xushan was among the Lower Four Saints.

On the square, each Evolver was being inspected, mainly because many viruses had mutated after the apocalypse, especially the zombie virus, which was hard to treat. The penal camp had to ensure that all Evolvers were not infected, otherwise, it would be dangerous.

Soon, it was Lu Yin's turn.

Watching his blood sample being placed aside, the nurse began to fill out his personal information. Lu Yin's eyes flickered, and he exerted his legs, his figure blurring for a moment before returning to normal. No one noticed, except that the color of the blood in the sample bottle changed slightly, seemingly turning a bit purple before quickly returning to normal.

"Lu Yin, right? Please wait a moment, it will be done soon," the young nurse smiled at Lu Yin.

Lu Yin nodded, "Thank you," he said, then walked to the other side.

After a while, nearly five hundred Evolvers were all inspected, with no issues.

Soon, a middle-aged man in dark military uniform walked over. As he approached, a pressure arose, and all the Evolvers looked at him in surprise.

Sizzle

The ground cracked, and a powerful energy swept through, shocking all the Evolvers.

"Earth, Earth Rank, Earth-Shaking Rank," someone exclaimed, and all the Evolvers looked at the middle-aged man with fear and envy.

The middle-aged man walked to about ten meters away from Lu Yin and others and said loudly, "My name is Feng Hong, a Ten-Thousand-Man Commander of the penal camp. Now, I will ask once: if there is anyone who does not wish to join the penal camp, you can leave."

Hundreds of Evolvers looked at each other, and then some began to step out.

Although the penal camp was powerful, it required strict discipline, and many had never been soldiers and were unwilling to join, including Lu Yin.

Nearly two hundred Evolvers, about half, did not wish to join.

Feng Hong looked at those who did not wish to join and said calmly, "By joining the penal camp, not only will your safety be guaranteed, but you can also bring your families to the area around Zhongshan Mountain. You will receive energy crystals every month for cultivation and can learn combat techniques from the Execution Saint."

"What are combat techniques?" someone asked curiously.

Feng Hong said coldly, "Combat techniques are skills that can allow you to exert 200% of your strength. The Execution Saint's combat technique is the Storm Slash. Few in the world can withstand it. You should have seen it."

All the Evolvers looked excited. They had indeed seen it. A single slash that destroyed mutated vines, cracked the earth, and changed the weather was incredibly powerful.

"Can we learn the Storm Slash?" someone asked hopefully.

Feng Hong said coldly, "Anyone can learn it, as long as they are recognized by the Execution Saint."

Upon hearing this, those who had planned to leave hesitated and gradually returned to the original group. Only about fifty truly intended to leave, and Lu Yin was among them.

Feng Hong waved his hand, "Take them away."

Soon, nearly fifty Evolvers were led out of Zhongshan Mountain.

Lu Yin looked back, knowing that this place would soon be in turmoil.

Outside Zhongshan Mountain, many survivors and even Evolvers had gathered. When Lu Yin and others came out, they all surrounded them, "Brother, want to buy a property? You can find me, the price is absolutely fair."

"Brother, need a guide? Don't look at me like that. There are too many zombies and monsters outside Jinling City. Without a guide, you'll easily be surrounded."

"Brother, want weapons? Sharp battle knives, sturdy spears, and even firearms are available. Buy a few bombs for self-defense."

...

"Do you have a map?" Lu Yin asked.

A shifty-eyed Evolver immediately came over, first scanning the surroundings with a fierce gaze to scare off competitors, then carefully taking out a map, "Brother, this map is worth ten crystals."

Lu Yin raised an eyebrow, "Ten? Are you crazy? A map for ten energy crystals? Do you know that one energy crystal can make an ordinary person evolve?"

The shifty-eyed Evolver said softly, "Brother, this isn't an ordinary map. It's detailed with the locations of powerful monsters and zombies outside Jinling City. You don't want to be surrounded as soon as you go out, do you? This concerns your life. Is your life not worth ten crystals?"

Lu Yin laughed, "At most three, no more."

The shifty-eyed Evolver agreed readily, "Fine, I'll make a friend. Here's the map."

Lu Yin felt he was being cheated, but he didn't mind. He reached into his pocket, took out three small white crystals, and handed them to the Evolver. The shifty-eyed Evolver's eyes lit up with excitement, then approached Lu Yin and whispered, "Brother, as a token of appreciation, I'll give you something. No need to thank me," and handed a round pill to Lu Yin before leaving.

Lu Yin looked at the pill with a strange expression. He recognized it; it was a virility pill.

After the apocalypse, many plants had mutated, and the drugs from the peaceful era were outdated. Drugs made from mutated plants were more effective. Lu Yin had seen others use this virility pill, and the effect was absolute, but such pills were very precious. If sold, they would be worth far more than three crystals. Where did this guy get it?

Lu Yin didn't think much about it, casually threw away the virility pill, and looked around before heading towards the outer city.

Carefully examining the map, Lu Yin's gaze swept over it and finally settled on a desolate hill in the south of the city, "I hope there are clues here."

In the topmost level of Zhongshan Mountain, a huge meeting room was filled with people. The seat at the head of the table was empty, and the first seat on the left was occupied by a man with a scar on his face, wearing a military uniform. The first seat on the right was occupied by a beautiful girl with glasses. Most of those seated were Ten-Thousand-Man Commanders of the penal camp.

After a while, Xushan entered the meeting room and naturally sat at the head of the table. He scanned everyone, then looked at the girl with glasses, "How is the planning going?"

The girl pushed her glasses up, "Preliminary estimates suggest that expanding the Jinling settlement will take at least two months, with battle personnel losses possibly reaching two to three thousand. If we want to incorporate the entire Jinling area from the peaceful era into the settlement, the losses will be three times greater."

Xushan frowned, "The settlement must be expanded. The northern advance is going smoothly, and it will take a few months to connect with the capital. When the whole country is connected, reclaiming the territory will be easier. We cannot fall behind and be laughed at by others."

"Execution Saint, we just received news that a Heaven Rank Evolver, the Ascetic Monk, has been born in India," the scar-faced man suddenly said.

Everyone was stunned. There were only seven Heaven Rank Evolvers in all of Huaxia, showing how difficult it was to achieve. No one expected one to be born in India.

Xushan's gaze sharpened, "Ascetic Monk? Investigate his background. According to the rules, no one should be able to break through to the Heaven Rank within a year."

"Yes."

"Is there anything else?" Xushan continued.

The man next to the scar-faced one was about to speak when he suddenly stared blankly out the window. The others followed his gaze, also staring blankly.

Xushan suddenly turned and looked out the window, his eyes narrowing.

Dozens of meteors streaked across the sky, trailing long flames. One of the meteors was heading towards Jinling and eventually landed in the southern part of the settlement, causing the ground to shake.

At that moment, countless survivors and Evolvers witnessed the scene. The meteors in the sky were like fireworks, fleeting and spectacular.

Outside Jinling City, Lu Yin, who was following the map to the desolate hill in the south, also saw it. The meteor that had landed outside Jinling City was not far from him.

A violent shockwave swept through the sky, dispersing the clouds, and the ground cracked.

Lu Yin kicked away a steel frame that was about to hit him, focused his gaze on the south, thought for a moment, and quickly rushed over.

Inside Jinling City, Xushan rose into the air, intending to head south, but was stopped, "Execution Saint, countless zombies are attacking the city walls."

Xushan turned his gaze to the east, where a vast horde of zombies was approaching. Jinling City was already sealed, and many survivors were still trapped outside, shouting in despair.

Xushan, holding a massive battle axe, flew out of the city and swung his axe at the ground, cutting through countless zombies, "Open the city gates, let them in. I will defend."

In the south of Jinling City, at the site where the meteor had landed, dust rose to the sky, and a huge crater spread over a kilometer in diameter, forming a cone. At the bottom was a white sphere, two meters in diameter, emitting white smoke, and the air around it was distorted.

Lu Yin approached the crater, hiding in an abandoned factory nearby, and looked through the wooden boards at the white sphere. His gaze changed. Although he had suspected it, he was still taken aback by its appearance, "I didn't expect it to come earlier than I estimated. A spaceship."

A soft sound, and the white spaceship's hatch opened. A hand reached out, paused, and then a young man emerged from the spaceship. He had short hair, wore white light armor, and combat boots. He slowly walked out of the spaceship, looked up, and stretched, "So tired. If it's a trial, why choose such a distant place and make us fly here ourselves? Disgusting."

He then took out a short knife and a wristwatch-like device, put it on his left wrist, and pressed a button. A beeping sound echoed, and the young man's gaze focused, looking in Lu Yin's direction, "Who's there?" He leaped up, drew his short knife, and slashed horizontally, creating a massive slash that cut the factory in half.