Epoch of Twilight

Luo Yuan tried to cut the molted Flood Dragon skin with his Zhanmadao but could not even pierce it. He noticed that the blade would just slip off the skin whenever force was applied. However, once he used he utilized the inherent power of his Zhanmadao, even the defense of the skin could not prevent the blade from penetrating it.

Huo Dong and the rest were dumbfounded by the skin’s ability to protect itself. They knew that in addition to Luo Yuan’s Agility and Earth Stomp ability, he also possessed another mysterious power that he used to combine materials of different objects. The skin possessed a unique kind of defense. They knew what type of blade the Zhanmadao was. It could cut through steel like it was tofu, yet it could not even slice or pierce the Flood Dragon’s skin. This skin would make the best material for armor, and Luo Yuan could synthesize it without much difficulty.

Most of them were still wearing the tough jacket made from the Haunted Locust Tree from Hedong City. After numerous battles, their jackets were torn and worn out; scratches and cracks appeared in several spots. They could only stare in envy at the semi-transparent bulletproof tops that Luo Yuan and the other women were adorned with. The membranous fluid from the turtle used to make the semi-transparent tops was limited. Luo Yuan could only make five bulletproof tops, and only one of them was classified to be a dark blue level armor. Luo Yuan was no saint; only a few women in his team was allowed to wear it. Unfortunately, Cao Lin had been excluded.

In the past, nobody dared say anything as they knew their relationship with Luo Yuan was not as good as those women. However, now that Luo Yuan has obtained such a large piece of Flood Dragon skin, Huo Dong and Lin Xiaoji seemed to be hopeful. With sufficient materials, Luo Yuan might be able to synthesize enough tops for everyone including them. Both of them stared at Luo Yuan as they observed him rolling the Flood Dragon’s skin into a bundle and tucking it away in his bag.

Lin Xiaoji had many questions in his mind and could not wait to ask them, but Huo Dong pulled him back forcefully and gave him a stare along with a warning in a hushed voice, “They’re on different sides than us; be careful what you say.” Being chastised without reason, especially by Huo Dong; Lin Xiaoji was furious. Just as he was about to retort, Luo Yuan’s stared at him, and all of his words seemed to have disappeared along with his anger.

Huo Dong let out a sigh of relief in his heart. The boy was incredibly dense as he had never stepped foot into society before. Boss Luo has always acted generously, almost like a saint; but it would be a fatal error to mistake him for one. Huo Dong had witnessed more than ten killings by Boss Luo thus far. After a while, even he did not feel much guilt anymore from killing people; which was probably more so for Boss Luo. If any of Luo Yuan’s limits were challenged, he would certainly become vicious and kill anyone who got in his way. His limits would probably include the women who were traveling with him, his world views or matters which he feels the need to keep a secret as well as his privacy. Huo Dong giggled sarcastically and said to himself, “Why am I always cleaning this idiot’s mess?”

The journey ahead was unexpectedly smooth; no danger had presented itself other than a few low-level beasts. “At this rate, we should be able to reach Hucheng City before nightfall.” Zhou Yicheng said after some rough calculations. The lizard had picked up its speed after they got onto the highway, so it was traveling at approximately 30 kilometers per hour making the journey a breeze.

“Hopefully.” Luo Yuan replied as he looked at both sides of the highway. The torrential rain had subsided momentarily but soon continued to pour down heavily. The rivers became clogged, flooding the surrounding areas. Within just a few minutes, the water was already half a foot deep; the world was slowly turning into an ocean.

If the flood here were already this severe, Hucheng City would be much worse by now. The poor disposal management of rubbish and corpses would cause the city’s sewage system to stop functioning. In fact, if the rain did not stop by tomorrow, the entire city would be submerged in water at this time tomorrow.

The children were well-behaved throughout the journey. They didn’t cry or throw any tantrums. Even the youngest, Chen Jiayi, was quiet. The sheer brutality of the apocalypse had forced them to cope with the current harsh conditions despite their young age. This type of discomfort was nothing compared to their misery when they were starving in the supermarket.

“Little Yuan, can we stop for a bit? I would like to find something to shade them from the rain.” Wang Xiaguang asked Luo Yuan as she felt sympathetic for the small children.

“Big sister, we don’t need it. We don’t feel cold at all.”

“The food we ate in the afternoon is still warm in our tummies!”

Deng Wei and Chong Chuqiang said immediately. The children were afraid that these people would chase them away for wasting their food and only being a burden. The meal they had eaten had been the most memorable meal of their life. They had never been as full as they were today ever since the apocalypse had begun. If they were chased away for being useless, they would probably never have a chance like this again.

“Hold it in for another two hours, we’ll rest for the night once we reach Hucheng City,” Luo Yuan said after looking at the time.

“They’re still so young, how do you expect them to endure it when they’ve just caught a fever in the afternoon?” Wang Xiaguang snapped when she noticed Luo Yuan being so cold.

“It won’t take much longer,” Huang Jiahui added.

Zhao Yali kept quiet, but her facial expression showed her dissatisfaction with Luo Yuan’s decision as well. Fear could be seen all over the children’s faces as they watched the adults argue over them. Chen Jiayi could no longer hold in her tears but dared not make any noise, so she cried silently.

“Alright, we’ll stop for a short while,” Luo Yuan said helplessly.

He did not mean to be cold. He had experienced a similar reaction from Wang Shishi before. Wang Shishi felt insecure and was afraid of being dumped as well. She had been so eager to help to secure her place that she even snatched Huang Jiahui’s house chores to be of some help. Luo Yuan could not help but giggle thinking about it now. Luo Yuan knew that too much concern for the kids would only burden them mentally and make them feel even more insecure. Sufficient amounts of hardship and labor would allow them to feel much better by contributing. Of course, he could not have said this in front of the kids.

When the giant lizard stopped, Luo Yuan took out an extra piece of fish skin from his luggage. Wang Xiaguang snatched it from him angrily and carefully placed it over the children’s heads but failed to notice that the children only became even more uneasy.

“There’s supposed to be a bridge in front,” Huo Dong suddenly said.

“Did you say bridge?” Luo Yuan asked to make sure.

“I used to pass by this road frequently when I was still working. I could even find it with my eyes closed.” Huo Dong replied as he came to realize that the sea bridge was already ruined and the same thing might have happened to the bridge he was talking about earlier.

“There’s a river here!” Zhou Yicheng said after looking at the map shielded in plastic carefully. The river was small, and if they did not pay close attention, nobody would have noticed a small bridge that stretched across it. It posed a serious problem now especially when there is a flood. Luo Yuan closed his eyes to think. He opened them soon after and said, “Hopefully it’s still intact, or we will be facing big troubles ahead.”