The woman looked at Lu Yin helplessly, "Actually, as long as you speak up, I'll help you. I have someone behind me."
"No need," Lu Yin said indifferently.
The woman sighed, "Alright, contact me anytime. Rest assured, I'll keep an eye on them." She left, leaving behind a fragrant breeze.
Lu Yin closed his eyes again; the woman's arrival had no effect on him.
In the late night, the glamorous woman returned. She smiled at Lu Yin and said, "Congratulations, the trouble is gone."
Lu Yin looked at her with suspicion.
The woman said, "I asked my big brother to take action. Zhang Tong has been captured. My big brother wants you to come and discuss how to deal with them."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Let's go."
The woman smiled and led the way. They crossed the flames and arrived at a spot about three hundred meters away from the main procession. Although it wasn't entirely safe, it wasn't too dangerous either.
When Lu Yin arrived, Zhang Tong, the evolver who had harassed the girls, and more than ten others were all kneeling on the ground. In front of them stood a tall man with crossed arms.
"Big brother, Lu Yin is here," the glamorous woman said coquettishly.
The man turned around, smiling as he looked at Lu Yin. "You're Lu Yin?"
Lu Yin nodded.
"I'm Liu Sheng, one of the captains of this team," the man said proudly, gazing at Lu Yin with a touch of arrogance.
"I know," Lu Yin replied calmly.
Liu Sheng frowned; he didn't like Lu Yin's attitude. "How do you plan to deal with these people? I leave it to you."
Lu Yin looked at Liu Sheng. "Conditions."
Liu Sheng smirked, staring at Lu Yin. "No beating around the bush. I've heard about you and observed you. You seem to be quite powerful even though you haven't absorbed the energy crystals from mutated beasts. Can you tell me why?"
A hopeful look appeared in the eyes of the glamorous woman, as well as the other evolvers, including Zhang Tong.
Lu Yin smiled slightly. "Is this why you brought me here?"
Liu Sheng chuckled and looked at the glamorous woman.
She took a few steps forward, blew air into Lu Yin's ear, and said in a charming voice, "Brother Lu, tell us, okay? Is it another path of evolution? If you tell us, you'll be telling the whole human race, and humanity will be grateful. And I can keep you company too," she added, moving closer to Lu Yin.
Lu Yin turned to the glamorous woman. "I've said it before; there won't be a next time. Death."
As his words fell, he swung the iron rod, slashing the glamorous woman's neck. Blood sprayed as she clutched her throat, falling to the ground in disbelief. She didn't take Lu Yin's warning seriously, nor did she expect him to kill her in front of Liu Sheng, a person-level powerhouse!
Liu Sheng was stunned; he never expected Lu Yin to be so ruthless.
Lu Yin swung the iron rod again, "You're all annoying. Since this team was formed, you've been keeping an eye on me. Tonight, it ends." He charged towards Liu Sheng, the iron rod slashing down.
Liu Sheng roared, "You're seeking death!" Drawing a blade from his waist, he blocked Lu Yin's attack. In his eyes, this move not only could defend against Lu Yin's strike but also counter-attack, dealing significant damage to Lu Yin. However, reality proved him wrong. Lu Yin's iron rod split Liu Sheng's blade in two, leaving a deep bloodied mark on his right shoulder.
This scene shocked Liu Sheng; he, a person-level powerhouse, was defeated by Lu Yin in one move. How was this possible?
Lu Yin didn't stop. He swung the iron rod horizontally, and Liu Sheng desperately dodged, flipping his blade towards Lu Yin. Lu Yin effortlessly deflected the blade, and in a swift motion, he kicked the ground, propelling himself over ten meters, slashing down on Zhang Tong and the others. Blood sprayed, and the group of evolvers fell to the ground, lifeless.
In this moment, Lu Yin's heart hardened. This was the worst of times, but also the best. Evildoers could be eradicated.
Liu Sheng, dumbfounded, stared at Lu Yin. "How is this possible? You, you're a Earth-level powerhouse! People-level can't be this strong."
Lu Yin's gaze turned cold.
Liu Sheng trembled and knelt on the ground. "Lu Yin, no, Young Master Lu, spare me. Please spare me. I can be your dog, I can kill for you, I can find women for you. I can do anything you want."
Lu Yin raised his head, looking at the starry sky.
Liu Sheng, with an ominous look, suddenly pulled out a hidden blade and stabbed towards Lu Yin. The blade effortlessly pierced Lu Yin, but the figure in front of him slowly faded away. What was this?
"This is the Floating Step, a type of combat technique from... the Starry Sky," Lu Yin calmly explained. The iron rod flashed, cutting off Liu Sheng's head. "I'm just a guest, yet I'm disturbing the host."
Soon, Lu Yin took the energy crystals from Liu Sheng and the others, transferring them into a ring on his hand. Suddenly, the crystals vanished abruptly as they approached the ring, as if they had never existed.
This was the Void Ring, a precious ring that could store items. Like combat techniques, it also came from the Starry Sky.
No one cared about the disappearance of Zhang Tong and the others, but Liu Sheng was different. He was a captain and had gone missing. This caught the attention of the other captains.
However, since Liu Sheng had hidden his intentions to seize Lu Yin's method of evolution, he had deliberately concealed his whereabouts. No one came looking for trouble with Lu Yin, seeing it as Liu Sheng's self-inflicted misfortune.
The next noon, the team of tens of thousands looked towards the distant sky. They had just received news that Saint of Punishment, Zhou Shan, was about to arrive.
Soon, a small dot appeared in front of everyone. In the high sky, a man emerged, strong and over two meters tall, with short hair and a three-meter-long giant axe in his hand. He stood in the air, exuding a domineering aura.
Everyone stared in awe; humans could actually fly? Was this a Sky-level powerhouse? One of the Seven Saints of Hua Xia.
With a thunderous roar, Zhou Shan didn't say a word. He raised his hand and pressed down towards the ground. Shockwaves created a dust storm, making tens of thousands of people squint their eyes.
All the evolved beings looked ahead, witnessing the power of a Sky-level expert capable of destroying mountains and rivers.
From the ground, huge vines emerged, sweeping towards Zhou Shan ferociously.
Zhou Shan snorted, a sound echoing in everyone's ears. He lifted the giant axe high and created invisible wings behind him. With a mighty cry, he descended with the "Storm Slash." The body rolled down, slashing towards the vines.
A thunderous explosion echoed, and when the dust settled, Zhou Shan stood majestically with the giant axe on his shoulder. The vines were completely shattered, and on the ground lay a massive pit filled with green liquid.
Countless people admired Zhou Shan and cheered.
Zhou Shan hoisted his giant axe, flying into the air. Shouting, he said, "Let's go, back to Jinling. It's safe there."
"Thank you, Saint."
"Long live Saint."
"Saint."
...
Tens of thousands of people chanted Zhou Shan's name. In this apocalyptic era, heroes were desperately needed, and Zhou Shan was the hero, one of the Seven Saints.
Lu Yin gripped his iron rod. He had not yet reached Sky level, just as Liu Sheng had said. He indeed had not absorbed the energy crystals from mutated beasts. He was on a different path of evolution—the true path from the Starry Sky. Thinking about it, Lu Yin looked up, "It's almost time."
With Zhou Shan's protection, the team advanced smoothly. There were undoubtedly much stronger creatures in this world, but they were rare, and the team rarely encountered them.
A day later, the team arrived in Jinling. Until now, many people finally let go of their burdens and cried out loud.
Jinling was under martial law. The outer areas were abandoned, overrun by countless wandering zombies. Without Zhou Shan clearing the way, they would have had to fight through a bloody battle to enter Jinling.
Survivors were organized by others, while evolvers were arranged by another group of people.
This group of evolvers, over five hundred strong, protected nearly a hundred survivors. The ratio was quite low, proving that mutated creatures were not easy to deal with.
Unfortunately, zombies didn't have energy crystals in their bodies; otherwise, the number of evolvers would have been much higher.
The Penal Camp was a large and solemn organization centered around the Clock Mountain. Legend had it that when the organization was first established, Clock Mountain was infested with countless zombies and mutated beasts. Zhou Shan, leading all the evolvers, spent a month to finally conquer the mountain. This was only possible because Clock Mountain used to be a tourist area with fewer wild mutated beasts.
The Penal Camp was vast, radiating outward from Clock Mountain, gradually helping survivors take control of Jinling, becoming one of the largest survivor gathering points in the Hua Xia East Region.
Clock Mountain Penal Camp was majestic and solemn. Evolvers, wearing uniformed suits, patrolled the area. Many onlookers watched with envy as they passed by. They would soon be here too.
"Only half a year has passed, and Saint Zhou has created such a massive organization like the Penal Camp. It's truly unbelievable," someone exclaimed.
Many others agreed, saying, "In the face of the apocalypse, many are still hiding, but Saint Zhou has already established the Penal Camp. He will definitely dominate Hua Xia in the future."
The words resonated with many, and a wave of agreement followed.
Lu Yin walked among the evolvers, looking at the uniformed soldiers. He couldn't help but feel that these soldiers were genuine.
Logically speaking, the arrival of the apocalypse should have resulted in the complete collapse of communication. If not for the Star Network, it would have been impossible for the country to stabilize the situation in such a short time.