Two Worlds in the Apocalypse: Each journey through the modern world lasts 60 seconds.

Chapter 149 Interception (4600 words)

Night completely enveloped the wilderness, with only the flickering light of the campfire illuminating a small area around Xu Mo.

He chose an abandoned farmhouse about 300 meters from the highway as his campsite for the night. The main house of the farmhouse had long since collapsed, leaving only a relatively intact earthen wall, but a simple shed made of stones in the corner was still quite sturdy.

Compared to being completely exposed in the wild, this is a pretty good place to stay.

A small pot sat on the fire, containing Xu Mo's dinner for the day. The food was unremarkable, but it provided calories and a feeling of fullness, which was enough.

After finishing his meal, Xu Mo didn't rest immediately. He spread out his military tablet and the thick paper atlas by the campfire.

The cool light from the screen and the texture of the paper pulled Xu Mo's wandering thoughts back to reality.

Xu Mo's finger moved slowly across the map, extending southeast from the inconspicuous little dot representing Moli Town. About 150 kilometers away, a dense grid of symbols and a prominent city name were marked – "Luochuan City".

This is a typical pre-cataclysmic, densely populated, well-connected industrial and commercial city. On the map, it is marked with the highest level of danger, a red skull, with a handwritten note next to it: "Suspected activity of level 2 or higher mutants, extremely high horde density, extremely dangerous, detour recommended."

Xu Mo frowned slightly upon seeing this note.

Taking a detour is the only option, without a doubt.

The experience in Mori Town had already taught Xu Mo a profound lesson. A small town with tens of thousands of people could still form a mixed zombie horde of that scale after the apocalypse and the sharp decline in population, with a significant proportion of level one mutants among them.

So what about Luochuan City, with a population of several million? Even if only one-tenth or one-hundredth of the zombies survive and mutate, the number would still be astronomical, with the probability of level two zombies appearing increasing significantly.

With only the strength of the Iron Bone Realm, if he were to be trapped in a sea of ​​corpses, consumed by countless ordinary zombies and level one mutants, and then ambushed by level two zombies hidden among them, he would be in dire straits.

Moreover, the word "suspicion" mentioned in the intelligence report means that there may already be level 2 zombies there, and the possibility of even more terrifying level 3 zombies cannot be ruled out.

Facing the horde of zombies and the potential presence of level three zombies alone, Xu Mo wasn't very confident.

However, taking a detour is not always a smooth path.

On the map, the urban area of ​​Luochuan City resembles an irregular shape, situated on a plain where two rivers converge. The terrain around the city, especially in the southeast and northeast directions where detours are necessary, is complex.

To the southeast lie vast stretches of rolling low hills and secondary forests, densely vegetated and sparsely populated. To the northeast, the landscape gradually transitions into mountainous terrain. Although the map indicates an old provincial highway passing through the mountains, its condition is unknown, and mountainous areas are often a haven for mutated creatures.

"Is it facing known, but potentially endless, zombies—or facing unknown, but equally deadly and possibly even more bizarre hordes of mutated creatures?"

Xu Mo stared at the map, his fingers unconsciously tapping the edge of the tablet.

This is indeed a dilemma. While zombies are terrifying, their behavior patterns are relatively fixed, and their weaknesses are clear; they are at least "known" threats. Mutant creatures, like the "Black Panther Saber-toothed Beast" encountered during the day, may possess all sorts of unexpected abilities and habits, and may even exhibit group cooperation or territoriality—they are purely unknown.

"Black Panther Saber-toothed Beast" — Xu Mo gave the powerful creature that died by his blade a name in his mind.

Recalling its astonishing speed and its tenacious vitality in launching a desperate counterattack after withstanding several .50 bullets, Xu Mo felt no relief whatsoever.

If such creatures appear in groups, their threat level will be no less than that of a small group of level-two zombies.

After much deliberation, Xu Mo tapped the southeastern hilly area surrounding Luochuan City on the map with his knuckles, then traced the mountain road to the northeast.

"We can't make decisions based entirely on imagination." Xu Mo finally came up with a compromise: "Let's scout out the city's edge first. Let's see the situation there with our own eyes. If we really can't get close, then we'll choose to detour."

Faced with known zombies, at least they could observe and assess them first. But plunging headlong into the territory of completely unfamiliar mutated creatures was far more risky and unpredictable. Weighing the two evils, Xu Mo chose to confront the relatively known threat first.

Having determined the initial route for tomorrow's operation—to continue towards Luochuan City and conduct reconnaissance on its outer perimeter—Xu Mo felt a little more confident.

He turned off the tablet, carefully put away the atlas, and returned to his tent.

The next day, after finishing his business, Xu Mo started the SUV and hit the road again.

The destination is the outskirts of Luochuan City, approximately 150 kilometers away as the crow flies.

As we got further and further away from Jiangcheng, the road conditions began to deteriorate at a visible rate.

If the highway was merely cracked and overgrown with weeds a few days ago, today, this artery leading to the once bustling metropolis presents a dilapidated scene that is almost dead.

On the road, the density of abandoned vehicles has increased dramatically. They are no longer just scattered on the side of the road, but often three to five, or even more than a dozen, are crammed together, blocking the entire lane. Some have even caused chain-reaction rear-end collisions. The rusted car bodies gleam with dark red and charred black colors in the sunlight, like the dried skeletons of a dead beast.

Some of these vehicles, including sedans, appeared to be in good condition, with their windows closed and even the outlines of some personal belongings visible inside, suggesting that the owners had only left temporarily and would return soon. However, the dusty windows, flat tires, and weeds stubbornly sprouting from the cracks revealed the cruelty of time.

Some vehicles overturned off the road, their bodies severely deformed, and the cabs empty; perhaps the drivers and passengers had already...

They either became part of the roaming zombies, or they escaped or died in the early stages of the disaster.

These abandoned vehicles not only blocked the road but also created a strong sense of visual and psychological oppression. Xu Mo had to frequently slow down, observe, and look for gaps to pass through.

In these road conditions, getting there quickly is already a luxury.

Moreover, Xu Mo learned a lesson he hadn't been fully aware of before: never try to walk on elevated roads or overpasses.

How did he learn this lesson? The process was unpleasant, but the result was unforgettable. This is the tuition for survival in the apocalypse—sometimes expensive, but necessary to pay.

The morning passed slowly and cautiously.

The midday sun gradually became scorching, and the sunlit highway and the barren land on both sides, along with the distorted air, spoke of the sweltering heat.

Xu Mo held the steering wheel with one hand and rested the other on the lowered window sill, his eyes scanning the front and sides warily.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Xu Mo noticed an unusual plume of smoke slowly rising from the far left of the road, near the horizon.

At first, Xu Mo didn't pay much attention. It's common for the wind to whip up dust in the wilderness. Besides, the plume of dust was still quite far away, and its direction seemed to be roughly parallel to his own path, just slightly to the south.

However, as time went by and the vehicle moved, Xu Mo gradually realized that something was wrong.

That distant plume of dust seemed to be moving as well. Moreover, its trajectory was slowly intersecting with its own path! From initially being almost parallel, it gradually became a distinct angle, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before the two met at some point.

"A coincidence? Or—" A sense of vigilance rose in Xu Mo's heart; any unusual movement was worth being wary of.

He slowed down a bit, picked up the high-powered military binoculars from the passenger seat, rolled down the window, propped the binoculars on the windowsill, and looked in the direction where the smoke and dust were rising.

In the shot, distant scenery is zoomed in. The swirling dust somewhat obstructs the view, but at the forefront of the smoke, Xu Mo vaguely catches a rapidly moving—black dot?

The black dot moved extremely fast, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the obstacle-filled wilderness. It wasn't running in a straight line; sometimes it leaped into depressions, sometimes it skimmed over hills, but its general direction was definitely towards us.

Xu Mo adjusted the focus, trying to make his vision clearer.

A dozen seconds later, when the black dot crossed a relatively open and flat area, Xu Mo finally saw it clearly—it was a person!

A person running at an astonishing speed across the wilderness!

Xu Mo was taken aback when he saw that it was a person running. Then he subconsciously looked down at the speedometer of his off-road vehicle—the needle was swinging slightly between 35 and 40 kilometers per hour.

Then, Xu Mo realized something.

Xu Mo clearly remembered that when he first saw the dust cloud, the other vehicle was almost alongside him, or perhaps even slightly behind. Now, the other vehicle had not only overtaken him, but was also blocking his path at an angle.

What does this mean?

This means that the other person was running at a speed exceeding 40 kilometers per hour, and that this was in a wild area with complex terrain.

This speed is far beyond what ordinary humans can achieve, and even far surpasses that of professional athletes who have undergone rigorous training.

"My goodness!" Xu Mo couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, putting down the binoculars and his eyes becoming incredibly sharp.

A superhuman! And a wild superhuman at that, whose abilities are likely related to speed or physical enhancement.

After the initial shock, Xu Mo quickly analyzed the situation: the fact that the other party was approaching him so blatantly and at such high speed indicated at least a few things: First, he had already discovered him; second, he had some ulterior motive, otherwise he could have avoided him; third, he didn't seem to intend to launch a surprise attack, but instead chose to approach him head-on—this shouldn't be a sign of malice towards him, right?

However, Xu Mo was quite certain of one thing: if the other party harbored extremely strong malice and wanted to kill him immediately, they might choose a more covert ambush method instead of exposing themselves from afar and rushing over at high speed.

Regardless, the other party is already coming after me, and there's no way to avoid it.

Instead of accelerating, Xu Mo gradually reduced the car's speed and brought it to a steady stop on a relatively open section of the road.

After parking the car, Xu Mo opened the car door and got out.

He walked to a spot about ten meters in front of the car and stood still. Since the other party had already seen him and clearly came for him, standing openly in the open and observing the other party's reaction was also a strategy.

In the apocalypse, appropriately demonstrating composure and strength can sometimes prevent unnecessary conflicts.

The other party had clearly seen Xu Mo stop his car and get out to wait. What made Xu Mo's eyelids twitch was that the other party's speed, which was already extremely fast, seemed to have increased even further! The figure became even more blurred in the binoculars, and the dust it kicked up was even thicker, like a low-lying earthen dragon rushing straight towards them.

"Such speed!" Xu Mo's eyes were serious.

Regardless of whether the other person could see him clearly, Xu Mo casually waved in the direction of the approaching person, as if to say hello. Then, he stood there quietly, waiting for the other person to approach. His right hand seemed to hang casually at his side, but it was only an inch away from the hilt of the machete at his waist.

As the distance rapidly closed, Xu Mo finally saw the appearance of the person who had just arrived.

This was a very young-looking man, probably around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. His face was somewhat blurred due to running at high speed and being covered in dust, but you could still see that his features were fairly regular, and he even had a bit of a childish look.

He was wearing a tracksuit that was so worn and stained that its original color was no longer discernible, and on his feet were a pair of equally dirty but seemingly well-made sneakers. He had no backpack, nor did he appear to be carrying any obvious long weapons, only a bulge at his waist, the contents of which were unknown.

However, to Xu Mo's slight frown, the opponent showed no signs of slowing down even when they were still about fifteen or sixteen meters away! Instead, it seemed to have identified its target and charged towards him with a gust of wind!

"Huh?" A huge question mark instantly flashed through Xu Mo's mind. What kind of tactic is this? Even if they were going to make a move, shouldn't they have been prepared at this distance, or at least changed their position?

Without giving Xu Mo more time to think, and without any intention to shout or communicate, when Xu Mo saw a flash of excitement in the other person's eyes, the young man suddenly raised his hand while running!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several faint yet sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out, and a few inconspicuous shadows, reflecting the sunlight, like venomous bees leaving their hive, instantly crossed a short distance and shot straight at Xu Mo's face and chest.

Judging from its shape and size, it seems to be—a glass bead?!

Xu Mo's eyes suddenly turned cold! The last glimmer of hope that "there might be a way to communicate" vanished instantly. Sure enough, in the apocalypse, the way strangers greet each other is often this direct and deadly!

"Ding! Ding! Ding!"

Almost at the same instant the sound of air being cut rang out, Xu Mo's right hand, hanging by his side, moved! A bright blade of light flashed upwards like lightning, drawing a precise and swift arc in front of him! The crisp sound of metal clashing against metal exploded one after another, and several faint lights were precisely deflected by the blade, shooting off in different directions, either disappearing into the dust or striking the wreckage by the roadside with muffled thuds.

Xu Mo stood with his knife in hand, looking at the young man who had thrown the glass ball at him. His eyes were calm and expressionless, but a cold killing intent was hidden deep within them.

"Yo~" The young man let out a slightly surprised exclamation when he saw Xu Mo block his first attack so cleanly and efficiently. But he didn't stop. Instead, he used the momentum and amazing speed of his forward charge to draw a large circle around Xu Mo at high speed! His figure was so fast that it almost left afterimages, raising a cloud of dust.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh-!"

Amidst the surrounding chaos, the sound of air being torn apart rang out once more! More and denser glass beads shot towards Xu Mo's vital points from different angles with tricky trajectories!

The opponent had clearly practiced for a long time; the glass balls he threw were not only powerful but also extremely accurate.

"Jingle bells!"

Xu Mo stood still and slightly adjusted his body. The machete in his hand transformed into a protective, bright light screen, deflecting and knocking away all the glass beads that shot from all directions.

The sound of the blade colliding with the glass beads was crisp and rapid, like a sudden downpour hitting a tin roof. His feet shifted slightly with the movement of his opponent, always maintaining a direct confrontation with the most threatening direction, his sharp eyes tracking the fast-moving gray shadow.

The opponent's intention was clear: to use their speed advantage to engage in hit-and-run tactics and harass Xu Mo, exhausting his stamina and concentration, searching for an opening to deliver a fatal blow, or forcing Xu Mo into making a mistake.

"Interesting," Xu Mo thought to himself. This fighting style did surprise him. His opponent seemed to rely heavily on this combination of high-speed movement and long-range projectiles, with little indication of a close-quarters combat strategy.