"Huff… huff…"
On the wasteland, Lin Tuo stood in his thin clothes, body slightly leaning forward, still holding a combat stance.
Sweat beaded from every pore, instantly freezing into mist in the bitter wind.
Before him, the wasteland behemoth—the Berserk Bear—was still twitching. Its blood had dyed the snow, the massive body cooling quickly.
Only when Lin Tuo confirmed it was dead did his tightly wound nerves relax. His racing heartbeat gradually steadied.
The battle had looked simple—just one exchange—but for his body, it had been a crushing strain.
That was his strongest strike.
He hadn't chosen to clash head-on because his defense was nowhere near the beast's. Instead, exploiting technique for a precise kill was the only effective choice.
Of course, that also had much to do with the beast's low intelligence. Against a skilled human opponent, it would never have ended so cleanly.
"During battle… my body really does absorb Ether more actively."
Exhaling deeply, he felt the tingling in his muscles, the rush of Ether flowing into every cell. His eyes grew brighter.
He hadn't stopped to fight out of recklessness, nor just to indulge his hunter's itch—he had another purpose.
For days, even with daily training and body-tempering, his progress had slowed.
At first, climbing the "Sky Ladder" consumed 5 points of Ether… then 4… then 3… later, it took two days to refine even one.
Not surprising—life's evolution always grows harder.
Lin Tuo knew he had hit a bottleneck.
But when he'd fought Huaxi in Mining Town, he had felt Ether surge more actively. Now, with the Violent Bear, the confirmation was undeniable:
Life-or-death combat accelerated tempering.
It made sense.
Training alone could never fully awaken his body. But in real battle, with spirit razor-sharp and cells forced awake, a few seconds of mortal struggle equaled days of routine exercise.
Pushing himself to the brink—that was how to refine his body fastest.
And beyond that, Lin Tuo realized he was severely lacking in combat experience. Hunting wasteland beasts could sharpen that edge.
"Didn't expect this bonus… maybe it's worth staying here longer."
He murmured to himself.
After resting a while, his blood returned to normal flow, and the cold bit into him again. He hurried back to the car, pulled on his down jacket and gloves.
Huaxi, meanwhile, had only just come back to her senses. Her face, red from the cold, carried a tangled expression—fear and curiosity both flickering in her eyes.
She just stared at him, wide-eyed.
"What are you staring at?" Lin Tuo frowned.
"Ah—no, I… it's nothing…" The girl stammered, her tone far softer than before.
If earlier she'd still dreamed of escaping once she regained her strength—now that thought was gone.
With the power this stranger had shown, capturing her would be effortless.
Fear lingered… but so did something else: a strange comfort. Maybe… following him wasn't the worst fate. At least she'd be safe—assuming he didn't have the habit of tormenting captives.
"Where are we, exactly?" Lin Tuo asked, ignoring her odd expression.
"Hm?" Huaxi blinked, then turned to study the outlines of distant mountains before answering. "Not sure the exact spot… but we should be northwest of Mining Town.
If we head north, we'll reach Blackstone City—controlled by the Burning Flame Company. There's a garrison there. But with your strength… you'd be fine, as long as you're careful.
South is the central mountain range. Too rough for vehicles, mostly barren.
East and west are similar… but east is safer. More settlements. West has more mutated beasts—dangerous, but better chance of finding old-era ruins."
Lin Tuo listened quietly, then briefly switched his awareness back to his true body. Using his "all-map view," he confirmed her words. The terrain roughly matched.
"Then west." he said flatly, returning his awareness to the clone.
"What? Why west?" Huaxi protested.
"Remember your position." Lin Tuo didn't bother explaining, just started the engine. The car rumbled forward.
Huaxi hesitated, then blurted:
"Fine, but at least carve up that Berserk Bear first! Its parts fetch a lot of money…"
But the only reply was the roar of the engine.
Lin Tuo wasn't about to head straight into a city. They were just scaled-up versions of Mining Town.
The wild wasteland, where he could freely practice shooting and occasionally fight beasts—that was far more useful.
Huaxi grumbled silently, but as a captive, she had no choice but to curl up in the car and nap.
Time passed.
Morning bled into noon, though the sky never brightened much under the heavy clouds.
At a sheltered hollow, Lin Tuo finally killed the engine, rubbed his frozen nose, and sighed. Driving aimlessly all morning, hunting at random—it was exhausting.
And worse: hunger gnawed at him.
"Wha… we stopping?" Huaxi stirred from the backseat, blinking blearily.
Lin Tuo opened her door, dragged her out, and dropped her on the snow. "Lunch break."
"Huh?" She sat stunned, then brightened. "Wait—you mean… food?"
"I thought you'd forgotten." Lin Tuo leaned against the car door, smirking.
Huaxi sat cross-legged in the snow, nose wrinkling. Having gotten used to his blunt ways, her fear had softened. "I'm starving! You didn't say anything, so the only way to save energy was to sleep!"
"Looks like you're experienced."
"Of course! We wasteland hunters sometimes go days without eating. Once, I lasted nine days—only ate snow."
She even looked a little proud.
Lin Tuo just studied her quietly, then said: "Don't brag. I won't let a captive starve. I've got some pride left."
Her eyes lit up instantly. "Then we'd better hunt! Those beasts you killed earlier—if you'd just carried one along, we'd have meals for days!"
She also thought wistfully of the jerky and honey they'd left behind in Mining Town.
"Parasite-ridden. I'm not eating that." Lin Tuo shook his head. He'd never planned on eating mutant beasts.
"Then what? Dig for wild greens? Not much grows in winter."
"I'll manage." He turned, walking off toward a nearby forest. "Stay put. Run if you like—I won't stop you."
The woods were dense with frost-tolerant mutant trees, leaves still clinging in the dead of winter, gnarled and unsettling.
Edible plants might exist here, but Lin Tuo ignored them.
Instead, he let his gaze glaze over, consciousness shifting—
Back in his martial arts hall, in the study, he opened his real eyes.
It was deep night outside—about 2 a.m.
Too late for delivery, but the food street downtown was still alive.
He recalled the clone, switched the Evolution Sand Table to "Observation Mode," and placed the avatar in the city streets.
A restaurant gave him rice and stir-fry. He added a big portion of barbecue for the meat.
While waiting, he dashed across the street to a 24-hour store: canned food, beer, snacks, and a case of bottled water.
Arms full, he ducked into a side alley, then had the Sand Table transfer both himself and the supplies back to the wasteland clone.
The food shrank, then resized perfectly—no awkward "giant grain of rice" problems.
Twenty minutes in total.
When Lin Tuo reappeared in the wasteland forest, loaded with food, he chuckled to himself:
"Hope she didn't run. If she did… well, her loss."
He hurried back.
Sure enough, the car was still there, Huaxi huddled nearby, fidgeting. When she spotted him, relief flashed in her eyes—then shock as she sniffed the air.
"What is that smell? What… what's that?"
"Food."
Lin Tuo spread a rain tarp on the snow as a makeshift mat, then dumped the haul out.
After a moment's thought, he untied Huaxi's ropes and shoved a steaming meal box into her hands.
"Hurry up. Eat while it's hot. The skewers will taste worse cold."
He sat cross-legged and dug in without hesitation.
Huaxi just stared at the rice and vegetables in her hands. The smell made her brain stall out completely.
For her, it was like tasting heaven.
(End of Chapter)