A call for recommendation tickets! ... Russia's population hovers around 150 million, yet its territory nearly doubles China's, resulting in sparse habitation. Consequently, after the virus erupted, a larger proportion of its people survived, unlike in China, where dense populations meant a massive death toll from zombie bites.

Standing on a stretch of yellow sand, Ye Chen looked around. The vicinity was desolate, devoid of any recognizable landmarks; among the ruins and broken walls, only a few decaying corpses were occasionally visible.

Ye Chen stopped, pulled out his map, and oriented himself to the route they had taken. After studying it for a moment, he pinpointed the direction, then put the map away and continued forward.

They traversed many small villages...

Passed through two cities...

Slaying countless zombies and monsters...

Two days later, they arrived before a forest. Looking from afar, the lush greenery stretched out like the Yangtze River, completely blocking their path. If they attempted to detour along the forest edge, it would take at least another four or five days.

Ye Chen glanced at it and walked straight in.

The party of six entered the woods. Towering ancient trees blocked the light, and the atmosphere within the forest was eerily quiet and gloomy, punctuated only by the occasional strange cry.

Ye Chen trod softly on the spongy soil, his pace unhurried. Based on his experience, he knew that recklessly charging through such a vast forest would lead to a terrible end.

Scattered across the dark, rotten earth were small, dry twigs that snapped crisply underfoot. Ye Chen moved his fingers, drawing out his blood-red battle saber. Although his Qili Master-level strength allowed him to condense a tangible blade with greater power, doing so consumed significant qi energy.

The three-meter-long blood-red saber danced lightly in Ye Chen's grip, occasionally tapping the ground ahead or cleaving through strangely shaped branches.

As he passed a colossal tree, a sudden alarm flared in Ye Chen’s mind. With a hiss, the Green Wood Vine wrapped around the trunk nearby abruptly stirred and lunged toward him.

Ye Chen’s left eye narrowed.

Bang!

A jet of flame shot from his pupil, engulfing the Green Wood Vine. The terrifying heat left virtually no room for doubt; upon contact, the vine burst into flames.

The Green Wood Vine didn't even have time to shriek before it dropped to the ground, writhing violently for a few moments before being burned into black ash by the fire.

The air grew heavier with gloom.

Bai Long and the others watched the scorched vine on the ground with slight apprehension. Bai Long exclaimed in shock, "What in the world is that thing?"

Ye Chen's expression remained composed. "Nothing much. Just a monster masquerading as a tree."

Bai Long and the others shivered. If the vine hadn't attacked first, they might not have noticed anything amiss and could have been struck while passing, leading to injury or even death.

Ye Chen continued walking. This time, Bai Long and the rest stayed very close to him, watching their surroundings vigilantly. Whenever they spotted oddly shaped vines, they unleashed qi attacks. Nine times out of ten they were mistaken, but once they did hit a hapless disguised snake monster, which was enough to keep Bai Long and the others energized—truly, once bitten by a snake, one fears a well for ten years.

The ground was covered in foul-smelling mire. Ye Chen picked his steps carefully, choosing the cleaner patches, not out of vanity, but to avoid danger!

Gurgle!

Suddenly, a dark shadow erupted from a patch of ground blanketed in dead leaves, winding toward the feet of Ye Chen and the others as they passed. Ye Chen's reaction was lightning-fast; with a surge of qi from both legs, he blasted it away.

The moment the shadow attempted to latch onto Ye Chen's calf, it exploded outwards with a thump, thrown back near a large tree about ten meters away. It was a venomous snake, pitch black and as thick as an arm. The center of its body was blasted into a bloody mess.

Ye Chen raised a hand and grasped through the air, sending out his qi to envelop the black viper. He siphoned off its entire life force, glanced around, and walked on.

In a vast forest, avoiding detours when lacking a map was crucial; venturing off course meant getting lost.

Splat!

A snake coiled on a large branch overhead, preparing to drop down and attack, was sliced in half by an incidental qi sword Ye Chen casually flicked out. He swiftly absorbed its life force. With his current strength, extracting the life force of such creatures took mere seconds.

Ye Chen walked on without pausing. Suddenly, the ground beneath his feet softened. The sticky mud seemed to possess a suction, clinging tightly to his foot and pulling him downward.

"A swamp?" Ye Chen’s brow twitched, but he showed no panic. A sharp glint flashed in his left eye, and a stream of fire erupted from his pupil, landing on the swamp surface.

Whoosh!

The grey-black mud instantly vaporized where the flame touched, as if intense heat had fallen on ice. Since flammable matter was scarce in the swamp, the fire pierced straight through.

"Screeech—"

The swamp began to boil like hot water, and several piercing screams echoed from within. Immediately, a dark shadow shot out from about six zhang away. It resembled a black catfish but sported terrifying fangs and a mouth like an alligator, its eyes gleaming with malice as it charged toward Ye Chen.

"Catch this!" Bai Long roared, rushing to a nearby tree and yanking down a dark vine. The moment he gripped it, he sensed something wrong—the vine was ice-cold and incredibly smooth, lacking any rough texture. Then, he saw the vine in his hand move, transforming into a venomous python that hissed and struck at his face.

Bai Long started, but he didn't let go. Gritting his teeth, he yanked the python, gripped its tail, and hurled it toward Ye Chen. The snake's head instinctively lunged at Ye Chen.

Ye Chen noticed the sound of something tearing through the air behind him, glanced back to see a snake head expanding in his vision, and flashed his left eye's firelight. A finger-thick fire sword shot out, plunging into the python's mouth. The python let out an excruciatingly sharp shriek.

Ye Chen reached out and clamped down on its head. Seeing the swamp mud already reaching his chest, he slammed the swamp surface hard, instantly lifting himself vertically. He then tapped the swamp with his toe, sliding to the nearby solid ground. The python, acting as a rope, could not withstand the violent pulling force and was torn in half down the middle, splashing blood everywhere.

In the instant that followed, the black monster in the swamp reached the edge and spat a jet of toxic mud, black as ink, at Ye Chen. Ye Chen blocked it with his blood-red battle saber while a streak of qi shot out, piercing the monster's skull and drawing out all of its life force.

"That was close!" Bai Long patted his chest, still shaken.

"Brother, are you alright?" Ye Zhu walked over, asking with concern.

Ye Chen shook his head. "Let's go!" He took the lead and hurried off. The others glanced at the swamp, gave it a wide berth, and rushed after Ye Chen.

Soon, dusk began to fall.

The surrounding grass rustled, sounding as if countless snakes and insects were crawling, sending chills down their spines.

Ye Chen and his group did not stop to rest, continuing their journey. Along the way, they occasionally encountered areas filled with miasma, which Ye Zhu would dispel using his purification qi.

In the morning, the fog in the forest significantly obstructed visibility.

A thin slit opened on Ye Zhu's forehead, and the serene, gentle Eye of Talent activated, casting a beam of white light. Wherever it passed, the fog retreated, acting like a beacon guiding the group's path.

After walking a short distance, Bai Long pulled out a pair of binoculars from his backpack, took a look, and exclaimed happily, "We're almost out of the forest!"

The others sped up their pace to catch up.

Although the forest held many monsters, their formidable strength meant they posed little hindrance to Ye Chen and his group. Before long, they exited the forest and arrived in a wide open expanse of countryside.

Ye Chen and the others let out soft breaths, feeling significantly relieved. After a brief rest to regain some strength, they followed the map’s guidance and continued their journey.

At the cliff edge of the countryside, they slew the level 600 Black Horned Beast...

In the city, they encountered an uprising of Zombie Leaders, killing countless zombies until the city flowed with blood...

At the foot of Mount Tony, they killed the level 500 Two-Headed Wolf...

One day later, Ye Chen and his companions finally reached their destination—the entrance to the Level Six Ruin!

After traveling over mountains and rivers for so many days, slaying countless monsters, relying only on a map and memory, the six of them had fought their way from Hubei Province all the way to the outskirts of a Russian city.

Ye Chen looked up. The surrounding ground was open, with only a few half-demolished buildings. To the east was a stadium, and to the south, a power pylon.

"It's here?" Bai Long looked around, astonishment etched on his face.

Ye Chen nodded. "Don't move. The spatial link to the ruin is about three feet ahead." He had visited this ruin in his previous life, and the topography hadn't changed much, which, coupled with verification from surrounding structures, allowed him to deduce the approximate location instantly.

Yue Heng glanced at the ground and frowned. "It looks like someone has been here."

"More than one," Zhuge Fan also spotted footprints on the ground.

Ye Chen nodded. "Let's go." After more than a month, he didn't know how many people had entered this ruin. In his past life, the Russians had occupied this area, and he had only gotten a glimpse when tagging along with a hunting team. The specific dangers within were not detailed in the Knowledge Tower; they were mentioned only briefly.

Ye Chen stepped forward three feet but found himself still outside the ruin. Guessing there was a slight error, he took another step. Suddenly, the surrounding scenery vanished, replaced by a vast plaza!

Behind him, ripples flashed, and Bai Long and the others stepped through as well.

Ye Chen looked out. The plaza was paved with metal, and upon it rested numerous dark-gold circular platforms. On each platform sat a figure, eyes closed, resembling monks deep in meditation.

Ye Chen's gaze sharpened, tinged with seriousness.

Behind him, Bai Long and the others were utterly awestruck—there were nearly a thousand people seated in this massive plaza!

"Welcome to the City of the Second Solar Era!" A gentle female voice resonated directly inside the minds of the six of them.