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Age of Collapse - Chapter 3

Published at 22nd of December 2018 06:24:07 PM


Chapter 3

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3 – Moral Support

[Completed missions overview: one B-rank, three CC-rank, seven C-rank.]

[Currently unlocked skills: rank-3 Power Enhancement, rank-4 Dynamic Vision Enhancement, rank-2 Motor Functions Enhancement, rank-1 Powerburst.]

[Currently exchanged weapons: Rail Gun Sniper Rifle (B-rank) with ten corresponding bullets, Large Caliber Desert Eagle (C-rank, unlimited ammunition).]

[Currently exchanged bloodline: None.]

[Autonomously evolved innate skill: Devour Prototype (unranked, super rare skill, unique), enables the devour of other people’s genes and reward points as well as their appropriation.]

[Autonomously evolved innate skill: IPS Ultrafast Regeneration (unranked, super rare skill, unique), host’s IPS stem cells have mutated, and can divide in a flash.]

Luo You checked the several lit up nodes of his. Everything was rather normal, except for the two last ‘autonomously evolved innate skills’.

As for these two skills, Luo You knew exactly how they came into being and how to use them. But they were things from seven years ago, from just when the disaster had broke out, that is, from the 1st Year of Collapse. Moreover, they were part of the past he was reluctant to look back on and recall…

As for opening the Evolutionary Tree, it was rather accidental. In the early days of the disaster outbreak, after escaping the city where the disaster had broken out, he had entered a survivor base. But this base was rather unlucky. Its Wall of Life hadn’t been built yet, when it was destroyed by a flock of monsters. Since then, he had been drifting about the wilderness, before accidentally entering the domain of another Cube and inexplicably receiving a mission prompt in his mind: “C-rank mission, kill the leader of the Southern Highlands’ Blood Wolves.”

After the skeptical Luo You completed the mission, he discovered the so-called Evolutionary Tree deep in his consciousness as well as something called ‘C-rank reward point’. He later exchanged the C-rank reward point for a desert eagle with unlimited ammunition from the Cube. He started to realize the rules of survival of this new era.

Recently, Luo You intended to go to the Cube to receive a mission. He was a lone wolf, and had never cooperated with others. In fact, he generally didn’t meet other people in the wilderness. Yet today, he inexplicably met a squad of people, and was dragged into their group by the enthusiastic fellow called Arnold, without even being given time to refute. He felt rather helpless.

“Brother.” Suddenly, Luo You heard a voice. He immediately exited the Evolutionary Tree and subconsciously touched the desert eagle.

However, Luo You did not perceive any danger nor hostility. He glanced to his side and saw Arnold in a fur coat. With that huge body of his along with the fur coat, he looked like a thick-furred bear. He sat next to Luo You, took a big puff of his cigarette, and gazed at the starry ocean above his head, his eyes radiating vicissitudes of life: “In order to see such a starry sky before the Apocalypse, one had to go to the mountains. Such a sight was not possible in the metropolises filled with smoke. Unlike now, when there are few people and cities are gone, such a sight can be witnessed everywhere.”

Luo You was silent. He was a lone wolf and was used to be alone. He was not fond of interacting with other people and had slowly forgotten how to do it, especially when there was nothing to talk about.

“You’re such a blockhead!” Arnold smiled helplessly: “Look at your clothes. You’ve been in the wilderness alone for a long time, right? It’s no wonder that you don’t like to communicate with others.”

Luo You continued with his silence. Arnold exhaled a smoke ring. He was not put-off by Luo You’s indifference, and threw a question: “Can I ask you a question?”

“Ask.” Luo You could not continue to stay silent.

“The wilderness is very lonely. Those who can wander about the wilderness, have a moral support. What is your moral support?”

Along with Arnold’s words, the image of a petite figure appeared in Luo You’s mind – eyes enchanting enough to adorn the night sky, voice softer than an angel’s feathers, a heart-warming embrace. The person who had been absent for seven years was so familiar and yet so unfamiliar. Looking at the bright starry ocean, Luo You’s gaze nearly penetrated the curtain of night, as if he was seeing her in the distance.

Luo You felt a warm current flow inside him and an arc unconsciously appeared at the corners of his always indifferent lips, before quickly disappearing. Perhaps because he was pocked in his soft spot, but after a pause, he answered for the first time the question that he was unwilling to answer: “I have a younger sister. We were separated during the outbreak of the disaster. I want to find her.”

“Sure enough, it’s good to have a loved one who keeps you in their heart at all times.” Arnold seemed to have recalled something from his past. He narrowed his eyes, and said hoarsely: “Unlike your’s, my loved ones are all dead. At first, it was because I couldn’t go on like this, that I went out of the city. I wanted to end it all. In the end, I completed two C-rank missions by accident, and was hailed as a hero upon return. Later, as you can see, the group of rascals who are sleeping pestered me to go outside together, saying that they also wanted to be hailed as heroes. I cannot shield so many of them on my own. I know how bitter the fight will be. Therefore, when I met you on the road, I got you also involved. I’m truly sorry for forcing ourselves on you.”

Luo You didn’t know whether he was just giving a perfunctory reply or he really didn’t care, as he said indifferently: “It doesn’t matter.”

Arnold smiled apologetically, saying, “It’s alright as long as you don’t blame me. I really don’t want this group of rascals to meet with a mishap. Although we’re not related by blood, but I regard them as my only family.”

“Not everyone can return alive.” Luo You looked slightly to the side and stated an ice-cold fact. Evolution had a price, the Cube missions were nothing to scoff about. Even the most simple C-rank missions required one to put their life on the line.

With two Evolvers in their squad, even if they received the lowest-ranked C-rank mission, there was still no way the squad wouldn’t suffer any casualties. Like the Blood Wolf from earlier; were it not for Luo You’s quick reaction, then Lin Geng would have become a nameless corpse in the wilderness.

Arnold put out his cigarette, and then mumbled to himself: “I know… I know…”

This night, the group was rather fortunate, they had not suffered any attacks. The next morning, after everyone woke up, they packed up their equipment, and then proceeded towards the site of the Cube.

Luo You, who had not slept the entire night, didn’t seem to be the slightest bit exhausted. He cleared a good deal of obstructions along the way, greatly increasing the movement speed of the squad. The group had arrived at their destination at around 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

“Even though I’ve already seen it twice, but the sight of it still sends chills up my spine.” On a hillside, the distant Cube towered into the sky. The mysterious veined patterns engraved on its giant stone surface looked like relics of God. Looking at that colossus that didn’t belong to the human world, Arnold expressed what was on his and to a certain extent on Luo You’s minds.

Although the Cube was the source of humanity’s evolution, but one could not forget that it was also the source of the monsters, which were the cause of the world’s collapse, and was the culprit behind the destruction of the old era as well as the start of the present Age of Collapse.

At this time, Lin Geng came over. The Cube made him a bit uneasy. He asked carefully: “How do we receive the mission?”

Arnold took the cigarette out of his mouth and said in a low voice: “We’re already exposed to the Cube’s force field, we just need to wait. According to the intel, the Cube’s activity is cyclical. It sends all kinds of monsters to our world each month and issues missions based on a seven-day cycle. Once every seven days, it issues missions to humans inside its force field. When the time comes, you will hear a voice in your head.”

Lin Geng asked once more: “Today is the day when the missions are going to be issued?”

“That’s right. The Cubes all around the world issue their missions simultaneously. Last time the missions were issued was seven days ago. Therefore, the missions should be issued today.





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