In the ashen sky, ragged clouds shifted, and the cold sunlight pierced through the vapor, occasionally accompanied by a harsh shriek. Feathers drifted down from above as a dark, monstrous bird spread its wings and streaked toward the distant horizon.

The earth was a picture of desolation. Many small towns lay silent, their buildings ruined, walls crumbling, devoid of human figures. On the street, a hideous monster gnawed at a human corpse, the sound of crunching bone unnervingly eerie and terrifying.

Behind a section of broken masonry, two figures crouched low against a corner of the wall. The leading figure was a young man, powerfully built, with slightly curly brown hair and a high-bridged nose. He wore a tattered piece of leather armor and clutched a sharp spear, forged from fine iron, its tip stained with dried blood.

He stared intently at the monster feasting nearby, his hand gripping the spear so tightly he resembled a viper coiled and ready to strike.

“Gulp.”

A low sound of hunger rumbled from the youth hiding behind the young man. He immediately clamped a hand over his stomach, his pale face etched with anxiety. He stole a glance at the young man before him; seeing no sign of rebuke, he let out a small sigh of relief.

Suddenly—

The monster, which had been devouring the corpse, flickered its viridian eyes, lifted its head, and peered directly toward the hiding spot of the two youths.

“Damn it, we’ve been seen!” The young man’s expression shifted. Without hesitation, he shoved the youth behind him and roared, “Run!” As he spoke, he stood up from the corner, spear in hand, his entire body tensed, fixed on the grotesque creature. He slammed the butt of his spear against the shattered stones on the ground and spat a few harsh challenges at the monster.

The hideous creature glanced at him, a flicker of greed igniting in its bloodthirsty eyes. Unintimidated by the show of force, it let out a roar, lunged forward, and charged.

Thwack!

The spear in the young man’s hand shot out, piercing the flank of the monster. Simultaneously, the creature sank its teeth into the young man’s shoulder, and blood immediately began to seep through his leather armor.

The youth standing behind him froze in terror, sinking back onto the ground. A stream of foul, yellow fluid trickled down his leg. His eyes widened in horror as he watched the back of the man who had always shielded him—standing firm, an unyielding iron wall against the sunlight…

“Run!” the young man roared in anger.

The youth’s heart leaped from fear, which reached an unbearable peak. He scrambled to his feet, running backward in a flood of tears, his grief so profound he barely registered the sights around him.

CRUNCH!

He felt as if he had slammed into an iron barrier. Pain shot through his forehead, knocking him backward onto the ground. Looking up, a long shadow enveloped him—a tall, dark-clad young man whose gaze was cold, his imposing frame obscuring the sun.

“Little friend, you need to watch where you’re walking,” a light chuckle sounded as a handsome young man, clad in white and blue leather armor like a dashing knight, emerged from behind the dark-clad figure.

The youth sat numbly on the ground, almost forgetting his need to flee. It was then he witnessed a scene he would never forget. The dark-clad youth he had bumped into, with that indifferent expression, raised a hand and pointed. A wisp of black light flared on his fair finger, coalescing into a small, black blade that shot out like a missile.

Pfft!

The monster clamped onto the youth’s shoulder cried out in agony, its skull pierced through. Its entire skin began to rapidly wither, and a black streak flew back out of the shattered head, disappearing into the dark-clad youth’s hand.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The youth stared, dumbfounded, at the dark-clad young man. Suddenly, he felt that this mysterious newcomer was nothing less than a savior wandering in the darkness—those rescued from the very edge of despair often perceive outside intervention as a divine gift.

“Ah!” The young man injured by the monster hissed in pain, tearing the carcass away. Turning around, he saw that a group of mysterious people had appeared behind him without him noticing. There were seven in total—five men and two women—each radiating an imposing aura, their gazes carrying the authority of those who controlled everything.

The young man dared not look too long. He hurried over and bowed respectfully, “Thank you, powerful ones, for saving us. My name is Wutesang, and this is my younger brother, Wupuer.” As he spoke, he quickly helped up the youth sitting stupidly on the ground.

“Wupuer?” A hint of surprise flickered in the dark-clad youth’s eyes as he looked down at the boy who had soiled himself from fear of a mere Level 10 Ghoul Cat. It was difficult to imagine this boy would one day become one of the top three on the Russian Fighter Rankings, renowned globally.

Wutesang glanced at Ye Chen, anxiety churning in his gut. “May I ask what you esteemed powerhouses call yourselves?”

The dark-clad man lowered his head in thought and did not reply. The handsome youth in the white and blue armor beside him smiled, “I’m Bailong. You can call me Boss, or Brother Long.”

This squad was naturally Ye Chen and his party, heading toward a nearby base city.

“Wutesang, Wupuer…” Ye Chen mused, his eyes suddenly lighting up as he recalled something. In the ninth month of the previous Dark Era timeline, a youth rose rapidly in Russia, bursting onto the scene. By the shore of Lake Baikal, under the gaze of thousands, he slew the Iron-Backed Evil Shark, making his name nationwide.

No one knew his origins. This youth was like a lone wolf, refusing to join any guild or base city, operating solely on his own.

That person was Wupuer.

A powerhouse admired by countless others, whom even some major base cities dared not provoke.

Later, for some unknown reason, information about him leaked: in the early days of the apocalypse, he had an older brother named Wutesang, who had died in the jaws of a monster.

Ye Chen couldn't help but look at the young man and boy before him. He hadn't expected that a casual journey would yield such a treasure. If this embryonic powerhouse was cultivated properly, even if he couldn't reach the heights of his previous life, he would still far surpass ordinary fighters.

“Brother Long,” Wutesang hastily pulled his brother closer and called out to Bailong, appearing thoroughly deferential. If one thought him a hypocritical coward, they would be entirely mistaken. A man willing to step forward and risk his life to protect his brother while fiercely hunting monsters in the wilderness possessed an inner backbone beyond common understanding. It was precisely because of his integrity that he showed such respect to his benefactors.

Ye Chen did not understand Wutesang’s words, but seeing Bailong’s pleased expression, he guessed about seven or eight parts of the meaning. He glanced sideways at Bailong and said coolly, “Tell these two that I can allow them to travel with us and provide abundant resources for their training. Ask him if he agrees.”

Bailong blinked, “You want to take them in?”

Ye Chen nodded.

Bailong gave him a strange look and muttered to himself that taking them in was less appealing than taking in beautiful women… He switched to Russian and said, “Listen up, both of you. My elder brother sees great potential in you and wishes to take you in. If you agree, come with us; if not, forget it.”

Wutesang and his brother Wupuer exchanged a glance. Wutesang exclaimed with joy, “We agree!” Based solely on the mysterious technique Ye Chen used to kill that hideous monster, he knew this was an unparalleled powerhouse. In such a perilous environment, following a true powerhouse was an immense opportunity.

“They agree,” Bailong stated matter-of-factly.

Ye Chen nodded slightly, glanced at the two brothers, and said no more, leading the way. The Wutesang brothers looked at Ye Chen with deep reverence and quickly moved aside to let the group pass, intending to follow at the very end. However, Bailong stopped them. He laughed, “He’s the one taking you in, not us. Just stick right behind him. Be careful not to get ambushed by monsters while lagging behind.”

Wutesang scratched his head, and together with his brother, they obediently followed behind Ye Chen, like two pages in service.

Bailong looked curiously at Ye Chen. “You don’t understand what they’re saying?” Ye Chen didn’t turn around and replied indifferently, “I don’t.”

Bailan glanced at the communicator in Ye Chen’s hand, noticing that Bailong and the others all had one. Her eyes twinkled, and she smiled, “I can offer a small help.” With that, she took Ye Zhu’s arm and tapped on her communicator. Her own program transferred instantly into the device.

“Hm?” Ye Zhu looked at her, puzzled.

Bailan smiled sweetly, “I’ve added a program that automatically collects brainwaves and translates them into a language you are familiar with. That way, no matter what race speaks, you can all understand.”

“That’s so magical?” Ye Zhu, Ye Mo, and the others were astonished.

Bailan smiled radiantly, “It’s just a little gadget, nothing much.” As she spoke, she deliberately glanced at Ye Chen, who, however, did not turn his head at all.

Under the peak technology of the prehistoric civilization, the boundaries of language had long been erased. In fact, modern society already had rudimentary language translators, but those were first-generation, lacking the connection to brainwaves and direct speech.

The group traveled swiftly through the silent wilderness.

Ye Chen released a portion of his vital energy, enveloping the Wutesang brothers and dragging them along like kites trailing behind. At first, this terrified the brothers into looking pale green, but they gradually grew accustomed to it, their awe for Ye Chen and the others deepening.

Before long, the party crossed seven or eight small towns and arrived before a magnificent base city.

From afar, the vast plain was devoid of any trees or weeds—a measure taken to prevent lurking monsters—scorched completely clean, resembling a stretch of blackened earth. In the center stood a base city with an enormous ground area. The city walls rose nearly a hundred zhang high, like a massive mountain range, incredibly imposing.

“Boran Base City!” Wutesang exclaimed, “I never thought I would live to see it again.”

Ye Chen said calmly, “You will all continue to live from now on. You are not permitted to die without my consent!”

Was that an order?

The Wutesang brothers exchanged a look and shared a knowing smile.

Ye Chen and his group walked along the main road toward the city gate. Many other survivors were also returning from hunting monsters in the wilds, their faces grim, lacking any inclination to smile.

“These walls are so high!”

“Similar to ours.”

“Look! They’ve installed missile cannons on the walls; our base city doesn’t have those.”

Bailong, Yue Heng, and Zhuge Fan looked around, pointing and chattering like country bumpkins entering a metropolis or travelers entering a foreign land, finding everything novel.

“Hmph, a few bumpkins from China.” Several undisguised sneers drifted from nearby.

…

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