My Post-Apocalyptic Territory

According to previous information, the Yuanjing Mine is only a few kilometers away from the resort in a straight line, located in a certain area in the forest behind the castle.

This mountain forest is vast, and there are countless mutated beasts.

A few days ago, he drove along this mountain road and found a relatively flat section in the middle that led into the forest...

"However, this detour is too far and a waste of time. Moreover, as guardian puppets, Number One and Number Two have limited range of activity and cannot leave the territory for too long. It's better to go straight."

On the side of the road that borders the mountains and forests, there are towering mountain walls covered with dense, intertwined vegetation. Even awakened beings would not be able to climb them unless they have extensive climbing experience.

In my mind.

Tang Yu directly gave the order to Number One.

In an instant, spiderweb-like cracks appeared beneath Number One's feet, and his entire body shot into the sky, forcefully carving a path through the dense bushes.

In an instant, broken branches and leaves rained down, crashing onto the mountain road and leaving a mess everywhere.

Tang Yu's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the mountainside where a path had been cleared, and then at the cable hanging down from above... Indeed, violence is the best way to solve problems.

…………

The sun was blazing outside the forest, so hot it was almost unbearable.

The situation is quite different in the mountains and forests.

The trees are growing vigorously, with intertwined trunks and roots, and lush, verdant foliage, as if one were walking into a primeval forest. Even the sunlight is blocked out, making the light much dimmer and the temperature seem to drop several degrees.

Undoubtedly, this is a change that only occurred after the apocalypse.

The trees looked like they had been given hormones. In some densely wooded areas, Tang Yu even saw branches intertwined, embracing each other—what a disgrace!

Perhaps before long, Tang Yu wouldn't be surprised if even plants and trees came to life.

The forest was very quiet, with only the occasional rustling sound of the wind blowing through the treetops.

Tang Yu had stopped hearing the chirping of insects and birds. He was also curious, as it seemed that insects had not been seen since the apocalypse. He had at least seen demonized birds corrupted by the red mist, but he had not seen any insects.

This is supposed to be one of the most common types of organisms, but I've never heard of insects mutating. Could it be that insects are too weak and have become extinct?

Tang Yu thought it was impossible. Insects have top-notch reproductive and adaptability abilities. He was more worried that if insects were mutated by demonic beasts, they might be much more difficult to deal with than ordinary demonic beasts.

At this moment, the puppet guard number two, who was walking on the right, suddenly stepped forward, reached out and grabbed a green vine, and squeezed it hard.

With a snap.

The vine burst open, spilling yellowish-green liquid all over the ground with a hissing sound.

Tang Yu was stunned.

"This is... a snake?!"

He was startled; if he were alone, he would never dare to enter such a mountain forest.

Outside, most mutated beasts are not difficult to spot, except for a few assassin-type mutated beasts. However, in the mountains and forests, beasts like this one, which retains its original hunting habits after being mutated, are even more dangerous in such a complex environment.

This is just a weak demonized snake.

"Unfortunately, most of the meat of mutated beasts is inedible. It would be different if it were a mutated snake."

It seems like the beginning.

As Tang Yu ventured deeper into the mountains, more and more demonic beasts appeared before him.

Some of the native demonic beasts retained their original appearance, while others mutated and became bizarre.

A demonized rabbit bigger than a tiger or leopard, a demonized squirrel with three tails, and many more otherworldly creatures crawling out of the abyss rifts, their appearances even more grotesque, most of which I've never seen before...

He felt that if he had the chance in the future, he could number these demonic beasts and give them names. Otherwise, if he encountered them and couldn't name them, wouldn't he seem very uneducated?

…………

The environment in the mountains and forests was complex, and the location of the source crystal mine was uncertain. Tang Yu wandered around for a long time but still couldn't find the source crystal mine.

"Could this news be fake? But would Wang Tai be so bold as to make a deal with a big shot in Lindong based on false information?"

Tang Yu thought about it.

Regardless of whether the news is true or false, given the danger level in these mountains and forests, it's estimated that if Han Jing's team were to enter, they wouldn't last long, let alone find the source crystal mine.

Even Wang Tai and his men, it is said, only saw it from afar while they were fleeing.

He suddenly paused, stunned.

See?

This mountain forest is so densely wooded that it has already blocked the view. How can we see anything?

He felt he had received false information!

suddenly.

A large patch of light appeared ahead. Tang Yu rubbed his eyes, quite certain that it was the light.

"How could there be sunlight in this forest? Could we have already left the forest? That's impossible, you can't move fast in this forest. Judging from the location, this person is only on the edge of the forest, far from crossing it to reach the other side, so..."

He strode forward, and heard thumping sounds from both sides; it was Number One and Number Two dealing with some harassing demonic beasts.

Suddenly, the view ahead opened up.

A pit came into view, and sunlight shone down, making it sparkle.

This is a giant pit, and the bottom of the pit is covered with shiny white stones, which are minerals containing source crystals, raw crystal ore.

As expected, it was a bare mine.

The source crystal mine was already breathtaking from a distance, especially under the sunlight, where the raw stones reflected a shimmering white light. However, Tang Yu's gaze was fixed on the center of the giant pit.

There is a giant tree there.

Well deserved.

The trees in the mountains and forests are already very tall, but none can compare to this one.

This giant tree is rooted in the center of the source crystal mine, its underground roots intertwined like coiled dragons.

This giant tree has many branches and leaves, but they are not the emerald green of ordinary leaves; instead, they are like transparent white.

Tang Yu stared intently, and it seemed he could even see the tiny veins within these transparent leaves.

This giant tree seems like a dream.

Compared to this, the source crystal ore below pales in comparison.

Shaking his head, Tang Yu stopped investigating the giant tree.

The giant tree doesn't seem dangerous. As for how it mutated, we'll leave that for later. Anyway, the giant tree can't run away, so for now, it's best to move the crystal ore away.

He didn't want to get too close to the giant tree, so he only went to the edge of the giant pit and found an area with relatively abundant raw stones.

With Number One and Number Two guarding him, Tang Yu pulled a bunch of round balls from his pocket and threw them out.

Basic warrior puppets, you're the ones I've chosen!

In mid-air, accompanied by a slight sound, the sphere the size of a billiard ball continued to deform and expand, eventually turning into puppets with round bodies and thick arms.

As soon as the puppet landed, Tang Yu immediately began to control it to mine. The basic warrior puppet did not have this action program, but it was simple. Just like when he was quarrying in the resort, he would raise and lower his sword. He didn't have to worry about damaging anything. Crystal ore and some ordinary stones were thrown out.

The raw crystal stones were all quite large, but they only contained a small amount of source crystals. If you used an ordinary backpack, you couldn't carry much of them, but Tang Yu had a spatial backpack.

One by one, the rough stones were packed into the backpack.

The puppets were making quite a racket at work, like they'd stirred up a hornet's nest.

Beneath the giant tree, where the roots were entwined, countless demonic beasts emerged.

A dark mass, like a surging tide, fiercely attacked.

Tang Yu frowned. "There are quite a few of them. Fortunately, we don't need to defeat these demonized beasts. We just need to hold out for a while."

Leaving number two guards around, number one moved with lightning speed and rushed into the horde of demonic beasts.

The silver spear in its hand danced like a dragon and snake. Number One didn't even need to stab; instead, it smashed and swept across. Wherever it passed, the demonic beasts were either severely injured and mangled, or their entire bodies exploded into a bloody mist.

There was no one who could withstand even a single blow.

This is the upgraded puppet guard.

Each time the territory is upgraded, the two puppets that serve as the territory's guardians will also receive a significant boost.

In terms of strength, Luo Zhe, who had already broken through to the Body Shaping Realm, was no match for these two puppets. If it weren't for the fact that the puppets' range of movement was somewhat restricted, Tang Yu would have dared to confront the BOSS head-on if he had taken them to the Lin Dong Shelter.

That's a bit of a shame.

With the death of the demonic beast, a continuous stream of soul power flowed into Tang Yu's body.

If the soul power emanating from a single demonized beast was merely a babbling brook, now it was like a raging river.

For a moment, even though he hadn't refined it yet, he felt a sense of fullness.

There are just too many demonic beasts!

Even if he had already reached the second level of awakening strength, he would still need to be careful when facing a first-level demonized beast if he were to hunt it himself. He would need to rest for a long time after each battle with a demonized beast, not to mention the dangers he would encounter during that time.

He understood somewhat. No wonder some people, even after awakening for a while, still didn't improve their strength. It wasn't that they weren't trying; it was just that they couldn't beat the demonized beasts!

Tang Yu smiled.

Upgrading is all about using cheats, right?

This is indeed the true way to use the guardian puppet.