Chapter 22: The Lure of the Steel Jungle

Screech—

The tires slammed on the brakes.

Yenir flipped out of the car, and after glancing at the nearby ‘Steel Jungle,’ he pulled on the gas mask he’d bought in advance.

After a four-hour ride, he found himself at what was once the outskirts of Tianfeng City.

This once-thriving human city now looked completely unrecognizable.

Under the taint of psychic pollution, rampant shrubs and greenery had swallowed the entire city. Towering office buildings were overgrown with plants, and hundred-meter trees burst through glass facades. Had it not been for a few iconic high-rises barely peeking above, the place resembled a vast forest.

A constant miasma of rotting corpses and toxic gases from various mutants filled the air.

Cautiously, Yenir stashed his motorcycle behind a clump of shrubs, preparing to proceed on foot.

Weaving through the suburban perimeter with practiced ease, it wasn’t long before his memory led him to a residential complex.

“Jinyuan Community.”

A rusted metal sign, veiled by vines, hung askew above several car frames wrecked at the entrance.

This was the place…

A determined glint flickered in his eyes.

After a careful survey of his surroundings, Yenir slowly stepped inside.

In his past life, he remembered that this rarely scavenged complex hid a second-stage mutant—and on that creature was the priceless Blue Equipment. He had stumbled upon it by accident while following a search team.

He recalled that after the equipment’s discovery, several major awakened groups from the Tianfeng Security Zone clashed fiercely just to claim it.

…

In front of Building 3.

Plunk—

A bolt flew from the crossbow, pinning a zombie’s skull with unerring accuracy. The impact sent the body shuddering until it resembled dried meat, pinned against a bookshelf.

Wearing his gas mask, Yenir nimbly flipped and leapt through a window into the room.

After dodging the tar-like zombie slime on the floor, he straightened up and surveyed the modest space.

The room was small—the second-floor unit of an old apartment building with walls marked by cracks, thick dust covering the mossy floor, and green vines creeping outside the window.

Dim light seeped through the gaps, casting pale beams across the room.

Hearing soft footsteps, Yenir casually checked a three-person photo in the living room before heading straight for the bedroom.

The apartment was less than a hundred meters from the building rumored to hide the mutant—ideal for a quick recon.

Pushing open the mold-stained door, he was met with the grim sight of two bleached skeletons on the bed.

One large, one small—a mother and her child.

Chances were, during the apocalypse, the deceased patriarch had resorted to cannibalism.

“Building 6… Floor 4.”

Muttering the mutant’s location, Yenir stepped onto the creaking floorboards and made his way to the vine-covered window.

He pushed it open forcefully and cleared away the vines. Seconds later, he spotted a distant residential building.

Much like this one, the six-story structure, swathed in lush vines, looked like a green cocoon at first glance.

“Second-stage mutant: Climber. Speed-type variant…”

Securing his gear was non-negotiable.

Recalling his previous encounter with the mutant, Yenir’s gaze hardened as he quickly planned how to neutralize the beast.

He remembered that, to kill that second-stage mutant, six second-stage awakened fighters and ten first-stage assistants had taken action. Moreover, the search team had even enlisted several regular soldiers to set up a lethal crossfire.

Yet despite all that preparation, the team still lost two second-stage fighters, and every soldier assigned to draw fire perished.

The Climber’s blistering speed had left an indelible impression on him.

But for Yenir, dispatching it wasn’t a challenge. His swordsmanship could take it down in a single strike.

The key was to kill it before it could even strike.

Being only a first-stage fighter, his limited physicality meant that even the slightest delay could result in the Climber tearing him apart in an instant.

“I have to lure it out…”

“The moment the creature enters my sight, unleash the sword technique!”

After carefully observing the Climber’s hiding spot, Yenir drew a deep breath and pried open the rusted security net outside the window.

Although he’d focused all his attributes on agility, breaking open the iron net with his bare hands was a breeze.

After eyeing the window of Building 6 for a moment, he swapped the crossbow bolt for a signal arrow.

He pulled the trigger.

Plunk—

Whoosh!!

Accompanied by the crossbow’s click, the signal arrow—designed to lure the mutant—screamed as it shattered the glass and flew inside.

In that instant, a dark figure flashed by in the distant window.

There it was!

Without hesitation, upon spotting the fleeting Climber, Yenir fired another arrow toward the open ground.

Plunk—Whoosh—!

The harsh sound caused several nearby zombies to abruptly turn, as if drawn by the noise, and charge towards him.

At the same time, accompanied by the crashing sound of breaking glass, a lightning-fast dark shape leaped from the residential building.

Boom!!

Dust and debris swirled as the ground gave way.

The Climber, lured by the two signal arrows, materialized ghost-like at their location.

Crushing a shard of broken brick underfoot, its hunched form and scissor-like arms snapped the signal arrow. In the next moment, its blood-red eyes darted around, as if pinpointing a target.

With nearly second-stage strength, within a mere 0.5 seconds the Climber’s nostrils flared and it zeroed in on Yenir.

Its triangular head and piercing red eyes instantly filled with murderous intent.

Their eyes locked.

Seeing the lured Climber, Yenir didn’t hesitate; he leapt into the air.

Boom!

Target acquired!

Realizing that this insignificant human dared to provoke it, the Climber hunched sharply after Yenir’s jump, its slender frame accelerating as its razor-sharp claws lunged—aiming to split him in midair.

The wind howled.

As the mutant surged forward, Yenir remained calm. Grasping an alloy longsword from behind him, a flash of silver ignited in his eyes.

This is it!

Skill activated! Sky Rift Radiance!

In an instant, a terrifying aura of crushing pressure burst from his hand.

Buzz!!

A high-frequency vibration filled the air, and time itself seemed to slow.

After unleashing his sword technique, Yenir felt as though the world had decelerated; his strength and speed surged as the charging Climber’s grimace became vividly clear in slow motion.

At the moment his sword was drawn, the heavy sky above appeared torn asunder by light, and a silver beam of sword energy descended from the heavens with majestic force!

Sky Rift Radiance!

His sword strike was executed with blistering speed!

The instant the sword light touched the ground, a cold, fierce blaze erupted, slicing straight through the oncoming mutant.

It cut through effortlessly, as if cleaving the very air.

With a subtle tearing sound, the charging Climber’s body stiffened abruptly.

After 0.1 seconds…

Snap!

A thin line of blood slowly traced from the Climber’s forehead, as if cut by a laser. Its severed body silently split in two and crashed to the ground.

A second-stage mutant capable of annihilating a hundred-man squad was instantly killed by that single strike!

Facing the edge of his sword, Yenir exhaled quietly behind his gas mask, a wave of relief surging within him.

That strike was incredibly fast!

Watching the Climber split in two, a smile crept across Yenir’s face.

SSS-level skill—truly extraordinary…

Moreover, compared to the Sword Breath Storm, Sky Rift Radiance’s impact was thankfully far less ostentatious.

Just as he bent down to retrieve his gear, a faint, crackling sound echoed from afar.

Huh? What was that noise?

Yenir paused, puzzled.

Looking up, he saw that the vine-wrapped residential building not far from where his sword had struck was collapsing amid a series of cracks.

Through the rubble, on a small building behind Building 6, a deep slash ran straight across its facade.

Yenir: …