Chapter 172: Deterioration (1/2)

Chapter 172: Deterioration

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

When Luo Yuan and Zhao Yali came back, the rest were already preparing to sleep. They still had three additional tents after giving two to the soldiers which were more than enough to accommodate the team of 8.

Chen Xianfeng was excluded, unfortunately, since no tent could fit him.

Before sleeping, Luo Yuan went to the corner with the food cubes and stood there pondering for a long time. Finally, he carried almost all the cubes outside, leaving only three behind. Under the moonlight, Lao Huang was seen curled up. Even after three days, its layer of fur was still very thin. It still had some obvious wounds, but these were no longer the bloody sight they used to be.

Hearing Luo Yuan’s footsteps, Lao Huang’s tensed muscles slowly relaxed. It lifted its eyelids to reveal a pair of shiny eyes but then slowly closed them again. It looked like a dying old dog. Luo Yuan went to him and opened the package containing the food cubes. Just as the smell floated to it, its eyes reopened like a pair of bright bulbs! It struggled to stand, but its broken tail wagged with joy. Luo Yuan chuckled slightly and thought, ”Not even mutation could change a dog’s behavior.”

He threw ten cubes to Lao Huang, and his heart ached at the amount he invested as the energy from a food cube was enough to sustain everyone in the group aside Luo Yuan and Chen Xianfeng (as well as the soldiers), for a full day. On top of that, the high amounts of active energy it contained were highly nutritious and could give a boost any living creature.

Other than the first day where Lao Huang subconsciously devoured so many food cubes, it only got to eat three over the last two days. Luo Yuan hoped they could help Lao Huang recover. It quickly ate the cubes along with the sand and stones around them. He then turned towards another direction and noticed that the lizard and Lao Huang did not stay in the same area as mutated creatures were far more territorial compared to humans. Two of the beasts were at least a kilometer apart.

When he returned, the package he brought with him was empty. The moon was covered by the clouds tonight, leaving a faint glow. Luo Yuan looked at the sky and sniffed the air. The moisture level was extraordinarily high tonight. He was worried that the weather might be bad the next day. Rain would not only slow them down but dampen their spirits as well. It would cause unnecessary trouble and danger would usually follow. It would be even worse if it were stormy as they had to go through the forest. Luo Yuan had no other resort and could only act accordingly.

Their journey might have to be delayed if it was stormy tomorrow. He frowned and sighed at the thought of this.

Entering the subway station, Luo Yuan intentionally stepped on the ground a little harder to silently notify everyone that he was back. He knew that a lot of them could not sleep peacefully without him around. Not just those close to him, Huo Dong and the rest too. The level of alertness in each survivor was unimaginable. Everyone senses were enhanced by the situation.

Luo Yuan sat in meditation alone at the subway station’s entrance as per usual. If he slept near the others with his current conditions, everyone would have been haunted by nightmares. If he could barely control his aura when he was awake, he certainly could not do anything about it when he was asleep. A slight shift in his mood could change his aura completely, especially if he had dreams. It would be worse if they were nightmares. All this was because Luo Yuan still could not completely control his strength after the recent level ups he experienced.

Aura was mystical indeed but what it was made of was nothing else but strong Will and Sense – Will was for strength while Sense was required to support that strength. Those with weak Will would still look inferior when they put on a tough front, but those with strong Will would create a field of pressure around them even if they stood completely still. Therefore, controlling one's Will meant controlling their aura and meditation was the best method that Luo Yuan could think of to achieve just that. Of course, without the necessary skills to control it, his aura would be unrefined, and its aggressiveness would only be for show making his knife skills the perfect cure to refine his aura.

The night passed serenely and the next day, Luo Yuan who was half asleep in his meditative state, opened his eyes feeling palpitations. The surroundings were silent and only insects could be heard. The sky had yet to brighten as it was only 4 am. The night had been unexpectedly moist, and his hair felt wet. He wiped his face dry of the moisture and looked at the sky. Gloomy clouds present were a sign of heavy rain.

He stood up and straightened his slightly numb legs. He then proceeded to walk towards a nearby building with his Zhanmadao. It could be seen that the building was a high-class office tower pre-apocalypse since it was still 12 stories high when part of it had already crumbled. This was the highest vantage around.