Run, run, run! Ye Chen's figure moved like the wind, like a nimble ape-man, cutting through the jungle.

Along the way, he encountered many monsters. At first, he ran into a Azure-Patterned Snake coiled around a large tree, its body covered in blue scales and black spots.

At a glance, he mistook it for a green vine; if not for Ye Chen's sharp nose catching a faint, foul, fishy smell, allowing him to steer clear, he might have ended up as snake fodder. Without the safety net of Superman Mode, this deep mountain wilderness was a terrifying place for Ye Chen, given his Level 33 physique.

Death lurked around every corner. This was why, immediately after obtaining the Quenching Fragrance Fruit, Ye Chen fled without even taking the time to absorb its benefits.

Snap! Suddenly, the sound of breaking wood echoed ahead.

Ye Chen froze instantly, quickly holding his breath and dropping low to slip into the undergrowth. He smeared mud and rotting leaves onto his body and face, inching forward.

He kept his body slightly elevated off the ground, careful that buttons or other protrusions on his clothes wouldn't drag minuscule pebbles, causing a faint scraping sound that might alert the distant monster. He supported himself on his fingertips, moving in a press-up posture, keeping his body low—his chest barely a finger's width above the earth, like a crawling lizard.

Cautiously, he reached the cover of a dense bush and peered through the gaps ahead. About five hundred meters away, in a slightly sunken clearing, stood a monster perhaps five zhang (about 15 meters) tall and seven zhang long, with four limbs thicker than large trees.

Its entire body was covered in dense, dark hair, its skull elongated and cylindrical, featuring complex nasal turbinates, and its teeth were long, thin, and razor-sharp. A worm-like tongue, slick with saliva, dripped sickeningly.

"Anteater!" Ye Chen gasped inwardly. He hadn't expected to encounter an Anteater here.

These monsters subsisted entirely on ant monsters and Zombie Ants, possessing immense physical strength that made them immune to the viruses within the ants. Their digestive organs had evolved robustly under viral pressure, making them the natural nemesis of all ant-type beasts.

Beneath this colossal creature, a large swarm of Zombie Ants writhed. Some possessed solid black carapaces, while others sported blood-red spots on their black shells—a poisonous variant that killed the physically weak instantly, denying them even the chance to become zombies.

"Mmm~~" The sound emanating from the Anteater's mouth was garbled. Its long tongue, as thick as a man's thigh, was adorned with numerous terrifying, pinkish tentacles that lashed out in all directions.

The ants biting near its feet, their sharp teeth utterly incapable of piercing the Anteater’s hide, were swiftly ensnared by these fine, delicate tentacles. The saliva coating the tentacles rapidly corroded their shells.

Slurp. All the tentacles retracted, pulling the main tongue back into its elongated maw.

The formerly pinkish serpentine head was now laden with ants, which were briefly chewed before the bright red tongue darted out again to engulf the remaining swarm. A cold dread washed over Ye Chen.

This Anteater’s physique must be around Level 500. Furthermore, by constantly feeding on vast numbers of ant monsters, it had accumulated immense amounts of their basal energy and blood essence, causing its strength to skyrocket.

Even if he activated Superman Mode, his chance of killing it was barely sixty percent, let alone in his current state. Logically...

The Blood-Toothed Tiger, the evolved form of the standard tiger, was only Level 300. This Anteater, before the apocalypse, certainly wouldn't have been stronger than a tiger, nor should it be this powerful post-evolution.

Yet, the reality was that this Anteater possessed colossal potential; during its first evolutionary leap, its physique had explosively increased to Level 100—two to three thousand times its original strength—making it one of the apex monsters on land. Escape.

Ye Chen forced himself to calm his emotions, desperate not to break into a cold sweat, as the scent of perspiration might attract the Anteater. He slowly retreated backward until he was over a hundred meters away.

Only then did he slowly crouch and bolt in another direction, relying on the fact that the Anteater, presented with immediate food, would likely pay little heed to anything else nearby. "I never imagined such a terrifying entity resided in this mountain range.

I wonder if it migrated from elsewhere or was here originally," Ye Chen thought, his heart chilling as he darted through the undergrowth. He ran cautiously all the way.

He dared not run too fast, lest he be detected by monsters. He dared not stop, lest he be caught by pursuing monsters.

Relying on his experience in discerning monster scents, Ye Chen bypassed numerous powerful beasts along his path. Whoosh!

Stirring a slight breeze, he ran for the better part of the day. The exit was not far now.

Ye Chen allowed himself no relaxation. He skirted behind a large tree, pushed aside the foliage, and vaulted out.

His figure blurred, accelerating abruptly as he burst out of the deep mountains and into the open wilderness area. Ye Chen did not pause.

He kept running. Outside the forest, the desolate region merely had a higher density of zombies; powerful monsters were far scarcer.

Even if he encountered an ant swarm, his speed allowed him to escape quickly. He lay prone atop a crumbling structure.

"Ironclad Mastiff." Ye Chen’s gaze shifted, spotting a canine monster, two zhang tall with robust limbs, a thousand meters away. He drew his Energy Pistol and aimed for its head.

Currently, the effective range of standard firearms manufactured by modern civilization was mostly between 50 to 100 meters; beyond that, their power diminished significantly, offering little lethal force. But the Energy Pistol was different; it was a product of prehistoric rune ruins.

Its projectile mechanics differed greatly from modern ammunition, reducing air resistance far more effectively. Coupled with the weapon's inherent power, this resulted in an extremely long effective range, maintaining peak attack power up to a thousand meters.

Just then, the Ironclad Mastiff, squarely in the crosshairs, seemed to sense something. It bolted into an adjacent abandoned building, vanishing from Ye Chen’s sight.

"Impressive for a Level 45 monster; so perceptive," Ye Chen sighed internally. "My state of mind was too unsettled, leaking killing intent.

I need to rein that in." He set the Energy Pistol aside and retrieved the Quenching Fragrance Fruit from his pocket. The fruit was extremely hard; one needed a physique capable of exerting ten ren of strength just to chew it.

Seeing no other monsters nearby, Ye Chen concealed himself in a corner atop the skyscraper and popped the fruit into his mouth to begin chewing. With his physique, his teeth could crush stone; he easily ground the fruit down.

Sweet juice flooded his mouth before he swallowed the last piece. After consuming the Quenching Fragrance Fruit, it wasn't long before Ye Chen felt a warm sensation spread through his abdomen.

His entire skeleton began to tingle, and his skin vibrated and writhed uncontrollably—not from fear, but from exhilaration. His body was ecstatic.

It was like a devouring machine; his internal muscles and bones trembled with excitement, emitting crackling sounds. His skin flushed slightly red, and beads of black sweat, thick with impurities, seeped from his pores, wetting the skin and emitting a foul odor.

Ye Chen paid it no mind, only feeling every inch of his skin quiver—the intense, trembling excitement of a beggar suddenly realizing he was an emperor. Swish, swish~~~ Ye Chen could hear the blood surging in his own veins, roaring like the Yangtze River, utterly magnificent.

The Quenching Fragrance Fruit, specifically designed to temper the body and cleanse impurities! Thump-thump, thump-thump~~~ His heart beat powerfully, loud as a great bell, seeming to pulse right next to his ear.

He felt he could see the cataclysmic changes within him: the blood raging and roaring in his vessels, the heart capable of shattering steel, the tendons and bones themselves radiating a nascent yu (desire/vitality). Ye Chen’s interior was rapidly transforming.

Ten minutes later... Everything finally subsided.

Ye Chen opened his eyes. It felt as if two sharp swords were shooting forth; his gaze was piercing and radiant.

Clenching his fists, the surging power within him made him instinctively want to lift his head and shout at the heavens...