Chapter 78: The Wild Mob (Second Update—Please Subscribe!)

At this moment, the off-road vehicle carrying Zhang Ran was driving along an asphalt street. After being ravaged by nuclear explosions and the passage of countless years, this street was already in ruins, its surface covered with a thick layer of moss, and in the broken patches, all kinds of wild grasses had sprung up.

Looking to either side of the street, ruined buildings lined the way. Whether they were once towering concrete towers or four- or five-story residential blocks, now they had all collapsed completely, leaving behind fractured foundations and precariously leaning walls.

On the surfaces of these buildings, tangled masses of vines and mosses clung relentlessly, almost entirely covering the facades, as if intent on consuming the ruins altogether.

Whether in the old era or today, these plants possessed extraordinary vitality. Even in the wilderness soaked in radiation, they survived—and flourished—beyond measure.

Vines and mosses served as the primary food source in this wasteland world. Their growth rate had increased tenfold compared to the times before the catastrophe, providing abundant sustenance for the multitude of insects, rodents, and other omnivorous mutated creatures roaming the wilds. These creatures, in turn, became the prey of carnivorous mutated beasts, forming a unique food chain in the wasteland.

Scattered across the desolate street were remnants of vehicles, corroded and rusted after years of exposure to radioactive storms, so deteriorated that even a six- or seven-year-old child of the wild could snap them apart with ease.

For the Level 3 mutated creatures, they no longer feared the off-road vehicle. At this moment, Linck, seated in the front passenger seat, let out a cold snort and released his own “force” into the surroundings.

Under the influence of Linck’s presence, mutated creatures near the vehicle swiftly scattered, fleeing in every direction within ten meters of the car. These creatures possessed an instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm; when confronted by a being whose life level far surpassed their own—especially when Linck unleashed his aura—they naturally felt fear and chose to retreat.

The off-road vehicle sped across the wilderness. Unbeknownst to its passengers, another hour had passed, and now the vehicle was approximately one hundred and fifty kilometers from Black Eagle City.

At this distance, the mutated creatures grew even stronger. Level 2 and 3 beasts were everywhere; Level 4 and 5 beasts appeared occasionally. Zhang Ran even glimpsed a Level 6, ferocious Golden-Scaled Claw Lion. Fortunately, Linck’s intimidating presence kept them from attacking the vehicle.

This was already the edge of Black Eagle Corporation’s territory. Within this region, any mutated creature deemed too powerful would prompt the corporation to issue missions for extermination. Beyond their reach, however, the strength of the mutated beasts increased dramatically, and only advanced evolvers above Level 6 could cross safely.

After a bumpy journey, the car pressed on at sixty kilometers per hour. Another hour slipped by, and suddenly, a group of robust men appeared ahead, clad in assorted garments and wielding a variety of firearms.

“Wasteland marauders!”

The term flashed instantly through Zhang Ran’s mind as he gazed at them.

Wasteland marauders were the bandits of the wild. They roamed the fringes where the major forces had little control, engaging not in production but in plunder and slaughter. Occasionally, they hunted mutated beasts for food, but more often, they preyed upon weaker settlements, committing atrocities like massacre, rape, and cannibalism—feared by all who dwelled in the settlements.

Generally, those who became wasteland marauders were evolvers, often above Level 3, possessing the ability to survive and act in the wild. For ordinary settlements, these marauders were absolute calamities.

“There’s a fat sheep, brothers! Take them down!”

Seeing Zhang Ran and his companions approaching in the off-road vehicle, the marauder leader barked a command. The others immediately raised their weapons and opened fire, bullets raining wildly upon the vehicle. Zhang Ran and the other five evolvers ducked low inside the vehicle, shielding themselves from the hail of gunfire.

Moreover, among the marauders were two wielding domain abilities. In their hands, one conjured a blazing fireball, the other formed a chilling ice spike, both sent hurtling through space with terrifying force toward the off-road vehicle.

These abilities were domain skills: “Fireball” and “Ice Spike,” both classified as D-level. The fireball would explode upon impact, its destructive force no less than that of an old-fashioned mortar shell; the ice spike possessed formidable penetration, easily piercing Level 1 alloy, and could freeze areas on impact.

“Dart, drive farther away. Don’t let our candidates get hurt. I’ll take care of them!”

Linck’s eyes glinted with a fierce light as he barked the order.

“Right away, boss!” came the reply from Dart, the driver. Calmly, he floored the accelerator, and the vehicle surged forward, swiftly turning to leave most of the bullets trailing behind, with only a few striking the rear.

The marauders’ weapons were crude, mostly scavenged from settlements and fallen evolvers, lacking anything as sophisticated as sniper rifles or psionic guns. When bullets struck the vehicle’s Level 3 alloy body, they produced little more than a clanging sound and shallow dents, nowhere near piercing its armor.

As for the two domain evolvers’ “Fireball” and “Ice Spike,” both were non-targeted abilities and missed the vehicle, landing to either side.

The fireball struck the ground, instantly detonating and blasting a shallow pit about a meter in diameter. Dirt flew, and waves of heat rolled outward, igniting a fierce blaze within five meters.

As a product of ability, the fireball’s flames could reach temperatures of at least a thousand degrees. The stronger the evolver, the greater the fireball’s explosive force and heat, with significant spread, capable of burning enemies across a wide area.

The ice spike, upon impact, pierced deep into the earth and then exploded, releasing frigid air. The chill reached tens of degrees below zero, instantly condensing moisture in the air to gray mist, rapidly spreading outward. Within several meters of the impact, frost formed on the ground, freezing everything solid.