Chapter 1
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Chapter 1: In Front of the Fierce Tiger, There Was No Ditch
In early spring.
In a season normally marked by activity, the earth appeared flat and motionless.
On an abandoned street, a manhole cover was loose and raised by a hand.
As Luo Yan stepped out of the manhole, he looked around carefully.
The landscape was marked by crumbling walls and debris.
Once a vibrant city bustling with activity, there is no progress in it, and it remains silent.
Only dust, paper, bloodstains, and dry bones are scattered throughout.
Everywhere was covered in dust and dirt, filled with a sense of decay and heaviness.
This was the third year following the ‘Beast Calamity. ‘
The sudden appearance of massive unidentified creatures on this planet caused chaos, and civilization was under siege within six months.
The survivors are now enduring a nightmarish existence.
Wail.
The wind intensified.
It tousled Luo Yan’s dark hair as he swiftly emerged from the well and partially covered the lid.
Beneath the lid, a rope was secured, with tightly tied knots to prevent slipping and swaying in the wind.
Luo Yan was dressed in ragged clothing, soiled and tattered, with a durable waist pouch secured at his side. His entire body, with the exception of exposed areas, was encased in layers of waterproof fabric. Only a pair of vivid red eyes were visible. At that moment, thunder echoed in the sky.
It began to rain.
Luo Yan appreciates rainy days because the rain helps to conceal his scent.
However, Luo Yan also dislikes rainy days, as they can elevate the risk of infection and worsen his condition by allowing a large amount of toxins known as ‘blood poison. ‘
‘Blood poison’ is brought in by colossal beasts. ‘
When the blood of colossal creatures is exposed to air, it releases a potent toxin.
This toxin results in the emergence of irregular red spots on individuals’ skin and causes the patients’ eyes to become bright red.
The presence of fully red eyes indicates that the patient is nearing death.
Similar to Luo Yan.
The redness in his eyes was nearly all-consuming.
Splash.
Rain cleanses the ground, unleashing a scent of mud.
Luo Yan had removed his diving mask, which was intended to safeguard his eyes.
He then donned a waterproof helmet, rendering him impervious.
Subsequently, Luo Yan expertly maneuvered through the streets and alleys.
Walking past a run-down hotpot restaurant, passing by a collapsed movie theater.
He suddenly felt a burning sensation in his eyes and quickly stopped.
At that moment, Luo Yan’s eyes became unfocused, as if he had lost his concentration.
In his sight, the scene on the street suddenly became somewhat dim.
He saw several vague glows approaching the intersection ahead, and they would soon reach the crossroads.
This magical “vision” appeared after the ‘Beast Calamity’ occurred.
Before the disaster struck, Luo Yan bought an ancient book called “Building Element Book” online.
According to the seller, it was a treasure he had dug up from a certain ancient tomb at great risk.
It is a lost martial arts technique.
It was a form of visualization practice.
Luo Yan was once very obsessed with these things.
After buying them, he really practiced according to the instructions in the ancient book.
But it didn’t work.
But after the ‘Beast Calamity’, Luo Yan clearly felt that the so-called ‘Visualization Technique’ was starting to work.
Every time he practiced, he could feel a warm sensation entering his body, and soon after, more warm currents rushed to the top of his head.
Before long, he found that sometimes, he could see some strange visions.
He could see the gray light emitted by humans, Giant Beast Parasites, giant beasts, and other creatures.
Just like now, it always allowed him to sense danger in advance.
Luo Yan immediately lightened his steps, silently slipping into the trunk of a nearby car.
There was only a tiny gap left.
After a moment, some creatures as big as wolves passed by.
They looked like ticks, with wolf-like heads, sharp jaws, and prominent noses.
Four or five of these creatures passed through the nearby street, stopping occasionally to look around.
Very alert.
They were Wolf Ticks, one of the parasites on giant beasts.
Over the past two years, Luo Yan has dealt with them many times.
Luo Yan knew they have sensitive hearing and are attracted by the smell of blood.
They are good at sucking blood, fierce and cruel, usually moving in groups rather than alone.
When Luo Yan met Wolf Tick, he was not surprised at all.
Because deep in the city, in the area that used to be the city center, lurked a giant beast.
A living giant beast!
It had the face of a sheep, the body of a man, the teeth of a tiger, and the claws of a human, and its voice sounded like a baby crying.
Every night, if anyone heard a baby crying, it was the giant beast calling out.
It had used the sound of a baby’s cry more than once to lure its prey.
Luo Yan carefully left from the car’s trunk after all the Wolf Ticks had gone.
Not long after.
He crawled out of a vent.
On the other side of the ventilation opening is a supermarket.
The supermarket collapsed in a large area, but miraculously the food section there was preserved.
So, that became Luo Yan’s ‘secret food warehouse’.
Because the only way in and out was through the vent, with only the supermarket’s exhaust pipe remaining, Luo Yan couldn’t bring out too much food at once.
He also did not want to.
Because that would raise suspicion, attract attention, and bring him trouble.
There wouldn’t be any police maintaining order now.
To stay alive, he had to rely on himself for everything.
By now, Luo Yan’s waist pouch was filled with seven or eight individually wrapped bread and ham sausages.
Even though these things are expired, thanks to preservatives, they can still be eaten.
As for getting sick from eating them, nobody cares about that now.
As long as there is food to eat!
When they went back, the rain had stopped.
Luo Yan’s steps also became lighter.
These bread and ham sausages would be enough for him to eat for a week.
Thinking about this made Luo Yan feel a wave of satisfaction and happiness.
Unfortunately, happiness comes and goes quickly.
Upon arriving at the crossroads where he encountered the Wolf Ticks, Luo Yan experienced a slight burning sensation in his eyes.
Soon after, a gray, human-shaped figure emerged from within a collapsed bus nearby.
Luo Yan swiftly decided to turn and flee.
“Damn, this kid is pretty clever.” Someone cursed inside the bus, then a muscular man rushed out.
He was robust, adorned with ghastly scars on his hands and face.
He instantly whistled.
Two additional men emerged from an internet café, heading towards an unspecified location.
They were each wielding either a knife or a stick.
All of them were armed.
Three men encircled Luo Yan, obstructing his path.
Luo Yan narrowed his eyes and drew an automatic pistol from his waist.
He disengaged the safety and pulled back the slide.
Luo Yan leaned slightly forward, assumed a standard shooting stance, and gradually stepped back.
“Please, be kind, and we can all benefit.”
The strong man who seemed to be the leader raised his hands and forced a smile, exclaiming, “I’ve heard that Brother Luo’s gang is thorough, knowing where to find food and medicine, you seem well-informed.”
“Don’t worry, we understand the rules, we won’t inquire about those places.”
“Look, the three of us have been hungry for days, and seeing Brother Luo’s bulging waist pouch, we’re sure to find something worthwhile.”
“How about this, you share some food with the three of us.”
“In the future, we brothers will follow Brother Luo without question!”
As the large man spoke, the other two men advanced behind him unnoticed. One of the men, distinctly resembling a horse, discreetly retrieved a gun. He intended to use the large man as a shield to stealthily eliminate Luo Yan.
But at that moment, Luo Yan’s eyes glimmered with a cold intensity. The large man immediately sensed the impending danger and shouted for everyone to take cover.
Bang!
The sound of the gunshot resonated.
Despite grasping the gun handle firmly with both hands, Luo Yan’s arms involuntarily lifted, creating a sensation as if his hands might detach from him.
The shot resulted in a hole in the man’s forehead and caused the back of his head to explode.
Blood, brain matter, and scalp with hair splattered onto the man behind.
The man instantly lost control of his bladder.
Luo Yan ran as fast as he could.
He ran towards the sewer entrance he came from.
The big man finally got up, picked up the gun dropped by the man with a horse’s face, and urged his remaining companion, “Hurry up and get on with it, do you still want to eat?”
The man finally came to his senses, wiped the blood off his face, and followed the big man.
The big man fired his gun.
Unfortunately, his aim was terrible and he missed Luo Yan.
Luo Yan had already run to the entrance of the sewer.
Immediately, he crawled down.
And casually grabbed the rope tied to the manhole cover.
With the help of his body weight, he pulled down!
The cover closed shut.
The strong man grumbled as he ran to the side, tossed away his gun, and was about to open the manhole cover.
Suddenly.
He heard a strange noise.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
His face changed as he turned around and saw four or five Wolf Ticks flying towards him.
Those things have eight legs and run very fast.
The strong man’s face changed dramatically as he shouted, “Brother Luo, quickly remove the well cover and let us go down.”
“We were wrong.”
“We shouldn’t have thought of this plan.”
“You, sir, have a big heart, please give us a way out!”
Under the well cover, Luo Yan’s eyes were calm and serene.
It seemed like he didn’t hear the strong man’s words, still tightly holding onto the rope.
Furthermore, he flipped and stood upside down, firmly placing his legs on either side of the well cover.
Use all your strength to tighten the lid. Don’t let it have a chance to open.
Very soon.
Above, there were screams, curses, and gunshots.
But these sounds quickly faded away.
All that was left was the gurgling sound of pumping water.
Luo Yan knew that the Wolf Ticks were sucking the blood of the two men.
The shot just now, even if it didn’t kill the horse’s face, it didn’t matter.
Luo Yan shot mainly to attract the Wolf Ticks.
Those things, nothing nearby could escape their notice.
And when they smell blood, they go crazy, lose control, and instinctively attack their prey.
Bringing the Wolf Ticks, the two men had no chance of luck!
After a while, rainwater mixed with a tinge of blood dripped from the drainage holes in the manhole cover.
It wasn’t until there was no sound from above that Luo Yan loosened the rope and climbed up the ladder from the well to the surface.
Luo Yan took out a flashlight from his waist pouch, turned it on, and walked forward.
After walking for a while, he arrived at the surface of another exit.
He still needed to make a trip to the drugstore.
He needed to find some painkillers, or else if ‘blood poison’ flared up, he would have a tough time.
While on the way to his destination, he suddenly felt the ground shaking.
A giant beast is on the move!
Luo Yan quickly hid in a shoe shop.
After a moment, he didn’t see the giant beast.
Instead, he saw a convoy!
The convoy consisted of three huge heavy-duty trucks that were almost as big as a tall building, and he wondered what they were carrying inside.
Each wheel was almost as tall as Luo Yan, and to get into the driver’s seat, one had to climb a ladder that was nearly two meters high.
The ground shook mainly because of them.
In addition to these three ‘monster’ level heavy-duty trucks, there were several armored vehicles with antennas and radars on their roofs.
But there were even more off-road vehicles with mounted machine guns.
This is an army!
Luo Yan couldn’t help but feel excited.
An army signifies the presence of organization.
With organization, there may be a cure for ‘blood poisoning’!
Luo Yan is determined not to succumb to death!
He understands that his time is limited.
He might survive for another six months.
Perhaps even less!
The convoy rumbled by nearby.
A large armored vehicle with imposing metal horns was at the forefront.
It advanced towards the city center, with the other vehicles trailing behind.
Luo Yan quickly pursued.
Fortunately, in this city once referred to as ‘Flower City,’ numerous obstacles impeded the convoy’s progress.
Otherwise, Luo Yan questioned whether he could maintain his pace.
Observing the direction of the convoy, Luo Yan speculated that they were heading to the city center, specifically towards the ‘Galactic Sports Arena. ‘ However, there were giant beasts present in that area. What was the purpose of their visit? Could it be an attempt to eliminate the giant beast? Luo Yan found this difficult to accept.
Following the ‘Beast Calamity’, the survivors of Flower City resided underground.
The enormous creature with the look of a sheep made its lair in the ‘Galactic Sports Arena’; however, as long as one kept their distance, they would remain unharmed.
Naturally.
The danger within the city extended beyond the giant beast.
There were various parasites of giant beasts scattered throughout the city.
Even so, the survivors still didn’t want to leave the city.
Because the situation outside the city was even worse.
In a time when there is no long-distance transport, if you encounter a Giant Beast Parasite outside the city, or even crash into a giant beast.
The chances of survival will approach zero.
Luo Yan shook his head to focus his mind more.
Using his ‘magic vision’, he spotted gray light clusters representing life, following the convoy from a distance.
At that moment, he saw countless gray light clusters appearing on the left side of the main street up ahead.
It’s a group of Giant Beast Parasites!
Instantly, a question popped into Luo Yan’s mind: to follow or not to follow?
To follow could lead to death, but also a chance to obtain the antidote.
Not following would mean retreating and temporary safety.
It happened in an instant.
Luo Yan already had the answer.
“I am a tiger, and no pits in front of a fierce tiger!”
With a determined look, he not only didn’t stop, but also quickened his pace.
As the distance between him and the convoy was halved, the sound of gunshots suddenly rang out!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The powerful sound of the gun made Luo Yan’s eyes widen, and he immediately dropped to the ground.
And then he saw.
Countless parasites emerged from the streets, from the gaps in the buildings, from the doors and windows, and crawled out from under the cars.
The black waves gathered together and crashed towards the convoy.
The high-caliber machine guns on the off-road vehicles of the convoy roared.
The smell of gunpowder immediately filled the air.
The black wave was hindered, and insects were constantly shot into the air by bullets, exploding into pieces.
At this moment, some parasites resembling mites but with human faces on their bodies crazily jumped onto the “monster” trucks.
They are called “Human-faced Demodex”, a type of Giant Beast Parasite.
These creatures are very stubborn.
Once they latch onto a prey, they will firmly attach themselves to the target’s body using sharp and barbed legs.
Then they will release incredibly potent bio-acid, capable of dissolving a large human in about 10 seconds.
Now, many “Human-faced Demodex” are clinging to the carriage of the heavy-duty truck.
These bugs, the size of a basin, quickly release acid liquid that dissolves the carriage.
However, the convoy clearly has a targeted method.
Around those heavy truck carriages, a sudden burst of smoke appeared.
After the smoke dissipates, the bugs attached to the carriage freeze and fall off.
Luo Yan gasped as he watched.
He felt relieved that he had not been reckless, or he would have been frozen solid by now.
Suddenly.
Luo Yan saw that the back of a heavy truck in the convoy had a melted irregular hole!
The surrounding insects were almost extinct!
The opportunity has come.
Luo Yan patiently resisted his urge, waiting until two off-road vehicles near the truck cleared the remaining bugs.
Only when rushing to support the convoy ahead, Luo Yan dashed out!
Passing through a ground full of insect corpses, he reached the slow-moving truck.
Leaping with all his might.
He grabbed onto the crash barrier two meters above the ground.
He climbed up.
Just as he was about to climb into the gap.
Suddenly.
A dark shadow jumped out from the ground.
It was a human-faced Demodex!
Luo Yan could see that the creature had a soft, sponge-like belly.
Watching it wildly waving its seven or eight legs.
A cold light flashed in Luo Yan’s red eyes.
He fiercely threw out the dagger.
The dagger turned into a black line, stabbing into the soft belly of the human-faced Demodex, making it squeal and fall to the ground.
Luo Yan was scared but quickly climbed up and crawled into the carriage through the gap.
As soon as he entered the carriage, everything suddenly blurred before his eyes, with some vague lights and shadows flashing by.
His heart was pounding loudly.
He felt some strange sensations.
This caused Luo Yan to fall down suddenly.
Luckily, there was no one in the carriage.
Otherwise, the noise alone would have been enough to attract attention.
He quickly looked around the carriage.
The space inside the carriage was unbelievably large.
There was a huge object in front, covered with waterproof fabric and tied down with ropes to prevent it from flying away.
Luo Yan quickly hid.
Just as he was feeling relieved for his success, a loud alarm sounded inside the carriage.
Luo Yan thought he had been discovered.
Unexpectedly,
A broadcast in the carriage said, “Attention! Attention! Detection of spatial shock waves reaching critical point!”
“Yanfu Space will open in three seconds.”
“Three, two, one……..”
“Yanfu Space has been opened!”
“The giant beast is about to be unleashed!”
“Activate level one combat readiness!”
“All mecha transport modules are deployed.”
“Mecha preparing for launch!”
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