Epoch of Twilight

Mayor Wu could tell from his facial expression that he was not paying attention to what he was saying. He probably did not inform the sentinel handling the registrations down below. But he did not say anything, as he was used to such a treatment, from a long time ago. All he did was to nod and say, "Go now and come back soon!"

After the emotionless secretary left the office, a wry smile was plastered upon Mayor Wu’s face.

The evolved human had belonged to a unique group, they were incredibly strong and rebellious. No matter how much they tried to hide, they had an indescribable hatred towards ordinary people. Some radical ones even thought that they were beyond human – being the chosen ones and the savior of the apocalypse. The ordinaries were not worthy of leading them.

It seemed like the people in the reconstruction area were one and united on the surface, but internally, there were much contradictories and politics within. If not for the war with everyone’s life at stake, there would certainly be a civil war between the evolved humans and the ordinary.

...

The sound of the bombing was rumbling like thunder; the air was filled with a pungent smell of smoke.

"Luo Yuan, don’t go, it’s too dangerous," said Huang Jiahui to Luo Yuan, who was holding onto his sword tightly. "They didn’t let us enter the city, why should we care about anything going on there now?" Wang Shishi said in certainty.

Commander Xia was listening carefully. Although his hearing was not as good as Luo Yuan’s, but from the density and the sound of the bombing, he could roughly analyze what was happening.

"That shouldn’t be a problem, such an attack will not be able to withstand the highly defensive frontline city. From the sound of it, they are only using something small, the big ones are not being used yet."

If they were to use heavy artilleries, the number of casualties would be a greater one. Commander Xia thought to himself, with an unusually calm expression. Soldiers like him who had been through bloody situations were very used to death, and unless they were comrades, the lives of strangers were just numbers to him.

Luo Yuan sighed and loosened the grip of his sword. This was not the wilderness that he was familiar with, but a real war with bombs everywhere. Missiles were falling just like rain, and if they hit him, there was no guarantee that he would be alright. Although he was strong, his body was still made of flesh. His +14 Physique could handle a normal bullet, but not the uniquely improved rifle bullets in the apocalypse, let alone an artillery shell.

To be in the battlefield hastily was too dangerous. They were solemn while listening to the bombing sound quietly. None of them had expected to witness the attack of a mutated beast even if they could enter the reconstruction area.

At that moment, the door opened slowly. Everybody looked at the door in shock. Soon, a young soldier ran towards them, "Is there anyone named Luo Yuan here?!"

"Yes, I am! What’s wrong?" Luo Yuan asked, yet remaining seated while staring at him in doubt. Although he understood why they were rejected earlier, it was impossible to be nice to them again.

Strangely, the young soldier was a bundle of nerves. His heart was pounding like a thunderstorm, and said quickly, "You guys can come in now, there’s someone who would like to see you."

"You are the one who wouldn’t let us in, but now you’ve changed your mind? Didn’t we have to pass through quarantine first?" Wang Shishi asked without thinking, as she was visibly displeased.

The young soldier who was quite serious earlier was lost for words when he saw this beautiful lady. He was avoiding eye contact, much like he would if he saw a prehistoric beast.

"Shishi, let’s not make things difficult for this soldier. Since we are now allowed in, let’s just go in." said Luo Yuan. Although he was still skeptical, he knew that it was no use asking this soldier, as the answer would be revealed soon. Wang Shishi had only wanted to vent, but after hearing what Luo Yuan said, she did not utter a word anymore.

"Oh yes, what about our battle beasts? Can we bring them along into the city?" asked Luo Yuan.

"I’m ... I’m sorry but we have a rule, that battle beasts would have to be placed in a designated area." the soldier said.

"There are forts everywhere, would they be killed by mistake?" asked Luo Yuan. The two battle beasts had been following him through the apocalypse, especially the giant lizard. Without it, they would not have been able to make it to the reconstruction area. It would be such a shame if they were to be mistakenly killed.

"No, after they have undergone the domestication monitoring qualification, we will mark them and implant an identification chip into their bodies. They will be protected by law, and all you will have to do is to pay a fee every month."

Luo Yuan nodded. After all, the city was not suitable for the giant beasts. It was highly populated, and even if the giant beasts did not hurt anyone on purpose, with a body size that huge, it could hurt people by accident should they be roaming around.

About the fee, he was not worried at all. To a strong evolved human like him, money was just a number. Luo Yuan got the giant lizard and king kong to stay where they were, before following the soldier into the door. A middle-aged man in a suit greeted them; he was the secretary.

The secretary looked at him with all due respect, and bowed a little bit. He was not as respectful when he was with Mayor Wu. In his eyes, Luo Yuan had a burning glow surrounding him. He felt that he was on flames as he got closer. He looked down immediately, as he dared not look at him straight into the eye. His evolution strength was mysterious and strange. He could see the halo of a person through one’s eyes. To put it simply, a common person’s halo would look as weak as candlelight, and in comparison, Luo Yuan’s halo was like a mini sun.

He had never seen such huge halo before, apart from those on the strong mutated beasts. He had now met a level five evolved human, and the size was incomparable. It was like comparing a scorching sun and a dim moon.

Before Luo Yuan could even open his mouth, he said respectfully, "Hi Mr. Luo, the mayor would like to see you." Luo Yuan was skeptical. After a brief thought, he knew roughly what was going on and said, "Please lead the way."

If money gave people the guts, skills gave confidence for people to grow bolder. If he was invited by such a VIP in the past, he would be restless or anxious, but now, he felt as cool as a cucumber. Huo Dong and the rest were hardly affected as well. Struggling in the cruel apocalypse had gave them a sense of peace, as they had lost their fear of power.

The secretary did not seem to care but walked with his head low while leading the way. Desert City was small; it was probably just the size of a town before the apocalypse. The houses on both sides were low, most of them were only two to three-storey high buildings made of wood. Windows could hardly be seen.

The roads were full of potholes, rubbish and mud. Some of the spots were damaged. Besides, the main road was being fixed with cement, while the buildings nearby had all collapsed. This place was a desert; thus, the foundation was not strong. Moreover, when they were building the city, details were not a priority. It was plain to see how such a shallow foundation could give rise to a possible collapse.

They passed by an industrial area that was heavily guarded. Under the moonlight, the massive amount of artilleries and armored vehicles gave out a chilling vibe. Even if they were invaded by crypt worms, the weapons were not affected at all.

There was absolutely no light in the industrial area. The only poor excuse of a glimmer they could see was a dimmed light through the door gap clanking with sounds of machinery, depicting how diligently factories were, working all day and all night. 10 minutes later, Luo Yuan and the gang walked into a three-storey building.