Chapter 001

Chapter 1: Wang Jie

As a guide, Wang Jie was now faced with two choices.

Either he would be killed by the team that had hired him, or he would kill them.

He thought the second option was simpler.

“Kid, let’s go.” Fatty sneered, raising his knife, its edge swirling with gray energy. The blade hadn’t even reached him yet, but the chilling aura it carried was already biting.

Wang Jie raised his eyes. His frail figure seemed even more fragile under the sunlight, but the ordinary face was outlined by a golden glow, making his bright eyes appear deep and mysterious.

With a swift motion, he reached out, grabbing the knife. A sharp snap echoed as the gray energy dissipated into nothingness, and the blade was snapped in two. Before Fatty could react, Wang Jie casually waved the broken blade, slicing across his neck. Blood sprayed, falling to the ground.

In the next instant, Wang Jie stepped forward, grabbed one of the men by the hair, and hurled him toward another. The impact was thunderous as the two heads collided, exploding on contact. Wang Jie then raised his arm, throwing the broken blade with precision, burying it deep into the heart of the last man.

The man stared blankly at Wang Jie, his eyes filled with disbelief. He staggered backward, falling into the darkness.

Wang Jie exhaled. “Such a hassle. I agreed to be your guide, just pay me the money and I’ll be done with it. Not paying, yet trying to steal my map? No manners.”

He glanced at the bodies not far off, then grabbed one and tossed it away. It arced through the air, only to be consumed by a sharp-toothed plant that emerged from the earth below, leaving nothing behind.

Wang Jie threw the remaining bodies one by one into the same fate.

One of the few perks of the apocalypse: killing left no trace.

Of course, he did loot them first.

To his surprise, on Fatty’s body, he found a mutated beast tooth—valuable cataclysm materials.

“The treatment materials for Old Five are wrong, and Four-Eyes is getting greedier. But Old Nine’s leg injury is almost healed.” Wang Jie smiled, brushing the dust off his clothes as he continued to care for his brothers’ wounds.

The wind howled across the desolate land, the distant city distorted by the heat, making the abandoned ruins appear blurry.

After some time, Wang Jie entered the abandoned city, his gaze drawn to a wall.

The plaster was peeling, but what caught his eye was an old, yellowed newspaper, preserved miraculously beneath the glass.

“Rainbow flying bird spotted in the suburbs of Golden Hill, citizens flock to witness it.”

Wang Jie stared silently. No one had expected that a news story that could trend would actually mark the beginning of the apocalypse. Every time he passed here, he instinctively glanced at it.

The year on the article was 2200.

That year, a cataclysm divided Blue Star’s history, and the peaceful era was lost. The apocalypse became a symbol for the whole world.

On that day, all firearms and manufacturing equipment on Blue Star were destroyed. No one could figure out why, and at the same time, all plants and animals began mutating, gaining extraordinary aggression in a short time.

Humans also entered an era of cultivation that had never been imagined before.

Now, it was already 2210, ten years after the apocalypse. Wang Jie was eighteen.

He remembered the peaceful times before the world changed, back when he was only eight years old when the apocalypse struck.

He loved being a guide, as it allowed him to make money while searching for cataclysm materials outside the base—two birds with one stone.

Next, he planned to see if anyone else needed a guide; he took his job seriously.

Walking along the edge of the ruined city, the occasional sound of gnawing from nearby didn’t faze him anymore.

Soon, his eyes shifted to a distant billboard, and he picked up a stone, tossing it at it.

The stone struck the billboard, making a soft sound, seemingly startling someone.

“Come out. I see you.” Wang Jie spoke.

From beneath the billboard, two figures emerged. One was a woman, plain-looking but with a good figure despite her rough skin. Even her thick, tattered clothes couldn’t hide it.

The other woman was in worse condition, her face smeared with grime, her features hard to distinguish. She gripped a dagger in her trembling hand, her eyes full of fear as she looked at Wang Jie.

Wang Jie scrutinized the two women, but didn’t speak.

“Are you a cultivator?” The woman with rough skin asked in a low, nervous voice.

Wang Jie replied, “I’m a guide.”

The woman’s eyes brightened. “You’re a guide? That’s great. Can you take us back to Golden Hill Base? I—I can pay you.”

Wang Jie looked at her. She couldn’t meet his eyes, but she gathered her courage and said, “Really, I have money. It’s at the base. If you take me back, I’ll give it to you.”

The other woman spoke as well, her voice hoarse, as if she hadn’t drunk water in days. “I have cataclysm materials, I can give them to you.”

Wang Jie looked at her. “What materials?”

“A vial of beast blood.”

Wang Jie nodded. “Alright, I’ll accept your hire.” He had been looking for someone who needed a guide, and a vial of mutated beast blood was worth a lot.

The two women breathed a sigh of relief, grabbing each other’s hands joyfully.

“Just a reminder,” Wang Jie’s lips curled into a smile, “Don’t lie to me. You might not be able to afford the price of deceiving a guide.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t deceive you,” the woman with rough skin quickly reassured.

Wang Jie made a gesture for them to follow. “That way, let’s go.”

Walking through the wilds with two delicate women wasn’t ideal, Wang Jie realized, especially with the smaller woman, who was jumpy and made the atmosphere tense despite not saying a word.

“Thank you. My name is Liu Shui. What’s yours?” the woman with rough skin asked.

Wang Jie didn’t turn back. “Are you two together?”

Liu Shui gave a soft hum.

The smaller woman remained silent.

Wang Jie turned back, giving Liu Shui a deep look. “I’m Ye Cao, the best guide at Golden Hill Base.”

Liu Shui was puzzled. Ye Cao?

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded, and Wang Jie’s expression shifted. He quickly pulled the two women down and gestured for silence.

Above them, mutated creatures raced between the ruins, roaring as the earth trembled beneath them.

They remained still, waiting until the noise subsided.

Wang Jie peered out from behind cover and saw movement in the distance. There were people, and quite a few of them.

He didn’t step out but stayed hidden.

The people in the distance slowly spread out, as if searching for something, completely unbothered by the mutated beasts. Wang Jie and the women were soon spotted.

A sharp sound cut through the air.

A broken knife sliced through the air beside them and embedded itself into the wall, leaving cracks and flashing with cold light.

It was a young man, over a hundred meters away, but his knife had easily penetrated the wall behind them. His strength was definitely formidable.

Liu Shui instinctively tightened her grip on Wang Jie’s arm. The other woman was even more frightened, trying to curl up in fear.

“Who’s there? Come out!” the young man barked.

Several eyes turned toward them.

Wang Jie took a deep breath, stood, and walked out. Behind him, the two women hesitantly followed.

“Who are you? Hiding here for what?” The young man glared at Wang Jie.

Wang Jie replied, “We’re looking for cataclysm materials, planning to head back to Golden Hill Base. I’m a guide.”

The young man glanced at Wang Jie, then at the two women behind him. His eyes were indifferent as he waved them off.

Wang Jie thanked him quickly and led the two women away.

“They must be from a hunting team,” Liu Shui whispered.

Wang Jie nodded. “Only hunting teams have the power and confidence to walk openly in the wild.”

Hunting teams, a unique profession born from the apocalypse. They hunted mutated creatures and had to be recognized by the base; otherwise, they couldn’t officially be called hunting teams.

Any hunting team was strong, not to be underestimated.

But this one didn’t belong to Golden Hill Base.

“Wait,” the young man suddenly called out, his gaze fixed on Wang Jie.

Wang Jie turned back, and the young man motioned for him to come over.

The two women looked uneasy, glancing at Wang Jie.

Wang Jie remained calm. Although life in the apocalypse was cheap, there was still no reason to kill without cause. The reason he killed Fatty and his team earlier was that they not only tried to steal his map but also wanted him dead.

“You’re a guide?” the young man asked.

“Yes.”

The young man tossed him a signal device and showed him a photo. “If you see this person, activate the signal device. We’ll reward you handsomely once we confirm his whereabouts.” He then pulled out a vial of crimson blood and waved it in front of Wang Jie. “Here’s one vial. If you help us find him, I’ll give you ten more.”

Wang Jie was taken aback. “Ten vials?”

“That’s right. To us, ten vials of mutated beast blood is nothing,” the young man said arrogantly.

Wang Jie nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

The young man waved dismissively, no longer looking at him.

For them, guides like Wang Jie were numerous, almost like rats with keen senses. They were far more efficient than the hunters at tracking people in the wild.

“I hope Hibiscus Tears hasn’t made a move yet, or even if we kill him, it’ll be useless.” One person spoke.

Wang Jie’s attention sharpened. He heard the wind rustling and realized the others thought he couldn’t hear.

Another voice followed. “Impossible, we’ve been chasing him. He hasn’t had time to make a move.”

“Daring to steal items from the Five Extremes? Once we find him, he’ll wish he were dead.”

Wang Jie continued walking until they were far away from the group. Liu Shui cautiously tugged at Wang Jie’s sleeve. “What do they want you to do?”

Wang Jie replied nonchalantly, “Find someone.”

Liu Shui nodded but didn’t ask any further.

Wang Jie’s eyes glimmered with heat. Hibiscus Tears. He wanted it, too, as it could help heal Old Five’s wounds. Golden Hill Base had a suitable cataclysm material, but he couldn’t get his hands on it.

As he thought about it, the smaller woman suddenly cried out. Wang Jie and Liu Shui turned to see her foot impaled by a skull. She looked at Wang Jie, her eyes full of apology.

Wang Jie scanned the area. “Actually, there’s no real danger around here. Just watch your steps. You don’t need to be so nervous. I’ll keep watch.”

“Maybe we should find a place to stay for the night. We won’t make it back to the base by daylight.” Liu Shui suggested.

Wang Jie nodded, leading them in another direction.

After some time, they arrived at a row of small houses.

The walls were stained with dark, dried blood, and bones were piled in the corner, emitting a foul stench.

As they entered the house, they saw a person sitting calmly on a broken sofa, watching them.

Wang Jie’s gaze shifted. Was that him? The very person the hunting team had been looking for earlier.