Chapter 76

Night.

Lights were bright inside the City Lord's mansion.

Lin Yue stood silently before the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the city he had built with his own hands.

Warm lights glowed in the distant residential area, children's laughter faintly audible; patrol members on the street, illuminated by streetlights, appeared especially steadfast.

In the fields, lush green crops swayed in the evening breeze, giving off a fresh fragrance.

Everything was so peaceful and harmonious, teeming with life.

However, Lin Yue was not satisfied with this!

He opened the System Mall, his gaze once again falling on the two icons for 【Super Soldier Serum】 and 【Danger Sense Potion】.

6000 energy points.

Over the past six months, he commanded Xuanwu to turn almost the entirety of Hangcheng upside down, yet he had barely scraped together less than six thousand points (of course, for the development of Xuanwu City, Lin Yue had spent quite a few energy points).

"Looks like it's time to swap for a bigger 'map'."

Lin Yue's gaze fell upon the huge map of China on the wall, finally settling on the two characters 'Suchen'.

He took a deep breath, picked up the satellite phone on the table, and dialed Zhang Zhen Guo's number.

……

"What? Mr. Lin, you… you want to leave Hangcheng?"

From the other end of the line came Zhang Zhen Guo's utterly shocked voice.

Over the past six months, thanks to the presence of Lin Yue and Xuanwu, life at the Third Prison Refuge had been unprecedentedly peaceful.

They not only resolved the food and salt crises, but relying on Xuanwu's purging power, they expanded their influence severalfold, gathering nearly a hundred thousand survivors, instantly becoming the premier super-refuge of Zhejiang Province and even all of southeastern China.

Zhang Zhen Guo had even begun planning, with Xuanwu City as the core, to rebuild Hangcheng and restore the pre-apocalypse order.

But he never expected that Lin Yue would actually leave.

"Mr. Lin, is… is there something we've done wrong?"

Zhang Zhen Guo's voice carried a hint of doubt.

"Commander Zhang, you've misunderstood."

Lin Yue's tone was very calm,

"There's no banquet that never ends. I don't believe Commander Zhang is unaware that Xuanwu wants to become stronger and needs a large amount of Energy Crystals. Yet now the Mutant Beasts in Hangcheng can no longer meet Xuanwu's evolution needs!"

Hearing this explanation, Zhang Zhen Guo fell silent.

What Lin Yue said was correct; he had long discovered that Xuanwu's evolution requires Energy Crystals from Mutant Beasts.

As for Hangcheng now, after half a year of Xuanwu's purging, not to mention large groups of Mutant Beasts, even spotting a single Mutant Beast is rare—he too would choose to leave.

After a long while, he finally let out a long sigh,

"I understand, Mr. Lin."

"Just… where are you headed?"

"Heading north, to Suchen."

"Suchen?!"

Zhang Zhen Guo's voice instantly rose an octave,

"Mr. Lin, why would you want to go to Suchen? That's hardly a good choice!"

"Oh?"

Lin Yue raised an eyebrow,

"Commander Zhang seems quite familiar with the situation there?"

"Far from just familiar!"

Zhang Zhen Guo gave a bitter laugh,

"Our refuge's intelligence department has been trying to make contact with surrounding cities; Suchen is a key focus. Based on the intel we currently have, Suchen's situation is rather complex!"

"It's not like our Hangcheng, which has only one official refuge. After the apocalypse, due to its special geography and strong industrial base, Suchen gave rise to several powerful survivor factions. After more than half a year of fighting and merging, it now stands in a three-way standoff."

"These three major forces are, respectively, the Suchen Refuge centered on the Suchen Military District, formed from the military and local government, with extremely strong military might, where all kinds of conventional and unconventional weapons abound."

"Second is the Heavenly God Group, entrenched in the business district by Golden Chicken Lake; their leader is said to have been a mysterious business tycoon before the apocalypse, mastering some unfathomable biotech, and commanding a 'God's Punishment Unit' of genetically engineered soldiers, whose combat power is unfathomable."

The last one is hidden at the bottom of Yangcheng Lake, a Deep Blue Matrix composed of scientists and top technical personnel. We know almost nothing about them; the only thing we know is that any drone or reconnaissance team that tries to approach that waters will have its signal cut off instantly and vanish without a trace.

These three factions are constantly at odds, fighting almost daily over territory and resources. If you go there now, it's……

Thank you for the reminder, Commander Zhang.

Lin Yue interrupted him, but his tone remained calm.

However, I have made up my mind.

Hearing his tone that brooked no argument, Zhang Zhen'guo knew further persuasion would be useless.

If that's the case……

He sighed again,

Mr. Lin, please take care.

I've noted it down.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Lin Yue's mouth.

……

The next day, at dawn.

Roar——!!!

Accompanied by an earth-shaking roar, the Black Tortoise's massive body slowly rose and then walked toward Suchen.

We…… are we really going to leave this place?

On the city wall, a newly joined resident gazed at the ever more distant Hangcheng, his eyes full of reluctance.

"This isn't leaving; it's a new beginning."

Beside him, a member of the Black Tortoise Guard Unit patted his shoulder, gazing ahead with firm resolve.

As Xuanwu City continually moved north, its ordinary residents felt nothing, but the Black Tortoise Guard responsible for patrols could clearly sense a killing intent mixed in the surrounding air.

Occasionally, a mutant beast flashing through the ruins had a size and dangerous aura far beyond those of Hangcheng's mutant beasts.

However, the vast majority of mutant beasts, upon discovering them, would first choose to flee, but there are always exceptions.

"Report! Five kilometers ahead, a small swarm of mutant beasts has been spotted! Preliminary assessment…… it's a Level 3 Mutant Beast, the 'Blood-Eyed Demon Ape'! Number…… over ten!"

On the watchtower, the scout's voice was somewhat urgent.

Level 3 Mutant Beast!

And there are over ten of them right away!

On the city wall, the faces of all guard members instantly turned extremely solemn.

They had seen records of this monster in the data provided by the Third Prison Shelter.

Blood-Eyed Demon Ape, over five meters tall, with immeasurable strength and a savage nature, its hard skin can even withstand the bombardment of small-caliber shells.

According to the records, these Blood-Eyed Demon Apes only live in the wild; otherwise, Hangcheng would have long been overrun by them.

"Roar——!!!"

As if to confirm the scout's report, frantic, heart-pounding roars came from between the ruined high-rises ahead.

Immediately after, huge silhouettes like black hills burst out from the ruins!

Their scarlet eyes burned with killing intent as they strode forward on thick limbs, launching a charge at Xuanwu City, momentum seeming to crush everything before them.

"Black Tortoise, take them out!"

"Hum——"

An invisible wave surged outward, centered on Black Tortoise!

The Blood-Eyed Demon Beasts madly charging suddenly sank their massive bodies, their speed sharply dropping!

Tenfold gravity!

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

Several of the demon apes at the forefront, unable to adapt to the sudden weight, staggered and crashed hard to the ground, blasting a huge pit in the concrete floor.

However, this was only the beginning.

The next second, the ground beneath the Blood-Eyed Demon Apes came alive.

Countless gleaming metal ground spikes erupted from the earth without warning!

"Pluck! Pluck! Pluck!"

These thick-skinned demon apes, before these high-strength alloy ground spikes, were as fragile as paper, their bodies pierced in an instant.

The battle ended in less than a minute.