Apocalypse: My Apartment Has Traits - Chapter 167 - 145: Deep in the Wilderness
Chapter 167: Chapter 145: Deep in the Wilderness
After driving back the beast horde, the group, filled with awe and a sense of newfound security, continued their trek deeper into the wilderness.
Before the apocalypse, Chixin Town was just a small town with a population of over a hundred thousand, but after being engulfed by the wilderness, it seemed as if an invisible hand had stretched its territory, making it appear even vaster.
However, under the leadership of Su Can, a First Transformation powerhouse, the group moved forward with unstoppable momentum, no longer needing to stay extremely vigilant against beast attacks. Their progress significantly increased.
In no time, the group reached the clearly discernible border deep within the wilderness.
It was Su Lin’s first time setting foot here. As far as his eyes could see, there was a barrier of light gray mist thin as a veil spanning in front, separating the wilderness inside and out.
He gazed into the distance along the mist and could even see a clear vertical gray and white line on the horizon!
Ye Xin’an’s expression grew solemn. He turned to Su Lin and sternly cautioned:
“Ahead lies the heart of the wilderness. Do you see that thin mist barrier? It’s undetectable from afar, only visible when you get close. Inside is the true deep sector. Be extra careful, the quantity of boss-level Shadow Beasts around the outskirts now is likely terrifying, all driven there by that Lord.”
He instinctively tightened his grip on the weapon slung across his back and took a deep breath.
“The outer ring?” Su Lin picked up on this key term.
“There are divisions within the depths—broadly the outer ring, inner ring, and… the uncharted center of the wilderness,” Ye Xin’an explained, then rare hope flickered in his smile, “But, with the old master here, perhaps… we’ll truly be the first to glimpse the true visage of the center.”
…Perhaps not.
Su Lin mused silently.
From the information disclosed by Song Yiyi, the wilderness center probably conceals untold secrets.
The so-called cavity she mentioned might indicate another kind of unknown barrier within the center area.
The people from the upper-level camp appeared so eager, likely coveting the things within the central area.
It could be a Shadow Monument, or something even more mysterious.
At this moment, Su Qi’s commanding voice reverberated through the group:
“Attention everyone! Ahead lies the heart of the wilderness! On the upcoming journey, your primary mission is to conserve the old master’s energy as much as possible, so he can focus on confronting the Lord! Everyone, draw your weapons! Guns and grenades ready! Stay on high alert!”
“Yes!”
The Hunting Group responded in unison, followed by the resonant sound of metal clashing, as hundreds of gleaming blades reflected a chilling cold light under the dim sky.
Su Lin gathered his thoughts, stopped pondering deeply, and gripped the two-meter-long bamboo pole blade firmly, fully alert.
Su Can continued to lead the way, stepping first into that thin layer of mist.
Su Qi followed closely behind, with Su Lin’s Search Team being next.
As Su Lin followed in Ye Xin’an’s footsteps and stepped into the mist of the depth, a sudden overwhelming sense of oppression descended!
The sky seemed to be veiled in a thicker gray mist, with sunlight growing faint and powerless to pierce through this fog.
The howling sound of the wind and sand vanished, and the yellow sand underfoot turned to hard and cold gray-black soil.
The air carried an invisible stickiness, weighing down even the body by a few degrees.
“Is this an illusion?” wondered Su Lin, in surprise and suspicion.
“Not an illusion.”
Walking ahead, Ye Xin’an seemed to perceive his thoughts and said softly, without looking back:
“The gravity in the depths of the wilderness is several notches greater than outside, swiftly adjust, and don’t fumble during combat because of it.”
“…Understood.” Su Lin’s heart quivered, and he nodded solemnly in response.
Everything inside the wilderness depths contrasted distinctly with the outside world.
Gazing around, aside from the scattered ruins of shattered buildings, traces of a once-modern city were almost gone completely.
The crisscrossing road avenues had vanished without a trace, and the scene of abandoned vehicles covering the ground was nowhere to be found.
Instead, large areas covered in gray-black rocks appeared.
These rocks were bizarrely shaped yet angular, square blocks amassed and stacked irregularly, creating an undulating, rugged terrain.
The group had to frequently leap and climb, noticeably slowing their pace.
Upon reaching the deeper areas, Su Can reined in his overwhelming aura.
The altogether roars of beasts became audibly clear amidst the thick mist, as giant shadows several meters tall loomed faintly within the fog.
Everyone held their breath, nerves tense.
Fortunately, Su Can’s extraordinary perception, granted by his First Transformation realm, always enabled him to detect danger in advance, skillfully guiding the group to avoid potential lurking beast hordes.
After advancing for some time, the group arrived at the old site of an abandoned middle school.
Close to the school gate, a tiny figure was pacing back and forth.
Su Lin squinted, only to be bewildered by what he saw—it was a chicken?!
Ye Xin’an saw it too, initially stunned, then a smile spread on his face:
“Not bad, we’ve encountered an animal zone!”
Animal zone?
Briefly pondering, Su Lin quickly recalled past knowledge about acquiring beast meat.
There are mainly two ways to acquire beast meat:
One is by hunting mutant beasts and using a slaughter saber to extract the meat, with only an extremely low probability of success;
The other is by discovering these randomly appearing monthly animal zones deep within the wilderness.
Inside, a plethora of creatures remained untainted by the apocalypse, maintaining their original forms, and could be hunted directly for meat!
Ordinarily, venturing deep within the wilderness is highly risky, and even a group of Tendon Lock Martial Artists venturing together are likely to perish, making it scarcely worth risking solely for this purpose.
“We’ll capture the animals here when we come back,” Ye Xin’an licked his lips, eyes showing yearning and a hint of craving, “Although once outside the animal zone, they won’t survive more than two generations, they can still provide a significant amount of meat. If there are eggs… or we’re lucky enough to find cattle or sheep, then we’ve hit the jackpot!”
Mention of eggs made Su Lin’s mouth water too.
Before transmigrating, he was a devout fan of eggs, an everyday necessity.
Since the apocalypse descended, he hadn’t tasted them for nearly a month!
Su Qi evidently shared Ye Xin’an’s thoughts and silently noted the school’s position, planning to capture the animals on the return trip and breed them back in the village.
As the group prepared to move forward, Su Lin’s sharp gaze swept past a fog-enveloped corner outside the school gates, spotting a layer of hazy soft light there!
His heart skipped, and he quickly stepped forward to grab his second uncle Su Qi, quietly and with excitement pointing towards it:
“Second uncle, look over there… it’s an automated vending machine!”
“Huh?!”
The term “automated vending machine” instantly ignited excitement in both Su Can and Su Qi.
They quickly looked in the direction Su Lin pointed, and sure enough, near the school gate, a square silhouette materialized in the mist, emitting a unique soft glow!
Delighted, Su Can hadn’t forgotten that his grandson Su Lin once struck luck by drawing a Tier One Blueprint from a vending machine!
He eagerly asked:
“Got money with you?”
“Got it.” Equally thrilled, Su Qi quickly fished out a hefty purse from his chest, “But that light doesn’t seem golden, don’t hold out too much hope.”
Unbothered, Su Can took the purse and heartily laughed:
“Even if it’s not a Tier One Blueprint, scoring a special blueprint is still a win! Let’s go, Linzi! Your luck has always been extraordinary, come try it out with me!”
Grandfather and grandson eagerly made their way to the vending machine.
Su Lin got a closer view; the machine’s appearance was similar to those he’d seen before, but a silver glow emanated from behind the window, leaving a small thrill of disappointment in his heart.
Noticing, Su Can heartily patted his shoulder and laughed loudly:
“Silver glow isn’t bad! You might not know, but the most common vending machines emit gray light, usually dispensing ordinary mechanism blueprints. This silver one, at minimum, yields rarer, stronger goodies!”
“I see…” Su Lin understood, directing his gaze towards the coin slot, which distinctly indicated: five silver coins.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
