Rise of the Wasteland in Cultivation

Zombies kept emerging from the subway station, attracted by the music playing from the Bluetooth speaker, and converged on the ruins, eventually forming a massive horde of hundreds of zombies.

Low-level zombies have no consciousness or thought, are sensitive to sound, and act entirely on instinct. So they kept circling the ruins, wandering aimlessly, emitting bursts of zombie howls, creating a noisy and foul stench.

"368 zombies have already emerged. Boss, Little Third Brother, can we move out now?" the fat man whispered, silently counting the zombies.

To be honest, looking at the huge horde of corpses in front of him, the fat man couldn't help but feel a little nervous, as if he had stirred up a hornet's nest.

Leng San calmly looked up at the sky. The pale sun had already passed its zenith, and the number of zombies coming out of the subway station was clearly decreasing, so it was probably almost over.

Bi Lang, experienced and composed, shook his head and said, "No need to rush, there's still time. Let's wait a bit longer. A horde of zombies this size can't be without its big catches. It would be safer to lure them out to the surface to deal with them."

The saying "An elder in the family is a treasure" is undoubtedly true. A team led by an experienced senior member can indeed avoid many unnecessary risks.

At this moment, Zhou Chen also woke up, opened the face mask of his anti-radiation suit, took out two cigarettes, handed one to Bi Lang, and wanted to hand the other to Leng San, but was glared at by Ye Wenrou's almond-shaped eyes, so he quickly withdrew it and put it in his own mouth.

"Would it kill you to smoke less?" Ye Wenrou sneered.

Zhou Chen scoffed, "We've eaten so much nuclear food already, what's one more cigarette? In this world, being able to afford cigarettes is a status symbol. Don't you think so, mistress?"

Leng San nodded, unable to refute it. Since tobacco leaves could no longer be grown, cigarettes could no longer be produced. Therefore, the cigarettes circulating in the market were all stockpiles from before the nuclear war, which were very expensive and ordinary people really couldn't afford to smoke them.

Over the past few months, the Canglang Squad has recovered a lot of resources, so Zhou Chen has been able to afford a few cigarettes occasionally.

"Look, even my mistress agrees with me," Zhou Chen said smugly, puffing out a cloud of smoke with a satisfied smile.

Ye Wenrou retreated to a distance; she hated the smell of cigarettes and warned Leng San, "Xiao San, don't you dare imitate them, or I'll beat you up!"

Zhou Chen winked at Leng San and laughed, "That's right, listen to Wenrou, be a good man, don't be like me, otherwise, who will Wenrou entrust herself to in the future?"

Ye Wenrou was extremely embarrassed and angry. She launched a high roundhouse kick, but Zhou Chen was prepared and leaped to the other side of the SUV. Ye Wenrou was so angry that she chased after him with a knife.

Bi Lang said half-jokingly, "Xiao San, what do you think of Wenrou? Although she has a fiery temper, she's actually tough on the outside but soft on the inside. She's also studious and ambitious. She would definitely be a good wife."

Leng San, sweating profusely, said, "Master Bi, I'm only thirteen years old."

Bi Lang laughed and said, "So what? Things are different now than before the nuclear war. The average lifespan of a scavenger is only twenty-five years old. Even if they don't die an accident, they only live to be around thirty. Many people get married and have children at the age of thirteen or fourteen."

What Bi Lang said was true. In order to ensure the continuation of the population, the five major forces in the wasteland all adopted different methods to "encourage" early marriage and childbirth. For example, female employees of the [Wanhua Bio Group] must get married when they turn sixteen, and it is a mandatory requirement. Otherwise, all benefits will be canceled. If they are not married and have children by the age of twenty, they will be kicked out of the group and left to fend for themselves.

Tiangong Mining Group has similar regulations, while the regulations of the Enslaved are even more perverse. The Scavenger Alliance, on the other hand, is relatively free and basically does not interfere with any private matters of scavengers. It only adopts an encouraging approach, so more people are willing to join the Scavenger Alliance.

Of course, rights and obligations are relative. The benefits of Wanhua Biotechnology Group and Tiangong Mining Group are very high, while there are no benefits to speak of in the Scavenger Alliance. They have to support themselves with their own hands, and once they leave the camp, they are responsible for their own life and death.

As for the "Slaves," this organization was formed by warlords and practiced slavery. It was full of oppression and exploitation. Therefore, the high-ranking members of the "Slaves" lived like emperors, while the lower-ranking members lived like they were in hell, with no freedom whatsoever and not even their own lives.

Bi Lang exhaled a puff of smoke and continued with a smile, "Wenrou is a good girl. I dare say you'd be hard-pressed to find another like her in this wasteland. Compared to Wenrou, my ex-wife was nothing but rotten mud!"

It was obvious that Bi Lang had also noticed Ye Wenrou's feelings for Leng San, so he worked hard to persuade her. Little did he know that Leng San was a time traveler with lofty ambitions; his path was long and arduous, and his mind was not on personal matters. If it were the original Leng San, he might have been persuaded by Bi Lang.

"Sister-in-law... cough, where is Master Bi's ex-wife now?" Leng San changed the subject.

Bi Lang said with a self-deprecating laugh, "He ran off with someone else. Back then, I was just an ordinary scavenger, not even strong enough to be a level one gene-enhanced warrior. I couldn't keep him, so he went to climb the social ladder. But it's probably for the best. If it weren't for this, I would still be living in a daze. Life is short. The sooner you see some facts clearly and become enlightened, the better. Otherwise, I wouldn't have reached my current position."

After finishing his sentence, Bi Lang changed the subject and laughed, "Wenrou is different from my ex-wife. She has strong moral principles and is very single-minded. Once she sets her mind on a man, she will never change her mind, unless that man is a heartless scoundrel..."

Before Bi Lang could finish speaking, Leng San suddenly hissed and looked warily towards the subway entrance. Bi Lang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately pulled up the face shield of his radiation suit, entering combat mode. Ye Wenrou also stopped chasing Zhou Chen and ran lightly back to the SUV.

Da da da……

A slight, rapid vibration came from beneath the subway station, as if someone was rapidly striking the floor tiles with a metal rod.

Da da da……

The knocking grew louder and closer, as if something was emerging from the subway station, and it was definitely not a zombie, because zombies couldn't make that kind of sound.

Leng San hissed warning sound as he pressed his tongue against his teeth, and Fatty and Zhou Chen quickly got into battle mode, taking the lead.

Da-da-da, da-da-da...

As the knocking grew louder, a wild beast, entirely black, emerged from under the subway entrance. It resembled a leopard but was not quite one; its eyes were bloodshot, its limbs were strong and powerful, and its claws, like iron hooks, vibrated frequently, striking the ground with a "tap-tap" sound.

Second-tier enhanced strength!

Leng San immediately discerned the approximate strength of this mutated beast from its aura.

At that moment, another mutated beast of the same kind leaped out of the subway entrance, its claws striking the ground rapidly, making a terrifying "tap-tap" sound.

Could there be more?

At that moment, a terrifying thought flashed through everyone's minds, and their expressions became extremely solemn.