The cub wanted to infiltrate the enemy’s base and wipe them out in one go, which aligned perfectly with Tao Shushu’s plan.

After being released, the speed-type ability user fired a signal flare.

“We need to hurry back. It’s getting dark. The full moon is near, and mutant beasts become extremely active at night,” he warned. “We’re the first squad. If we don’t return on time, reinforcements will arrive immediately.”

Nan Yuan threw the four of them into the tank, then went back to his truck and scattered some bloodgrass corrosion fluid around it before returning to the vehicle.

The four captives had just been worrying about the tank’s tracks being blocked by the giant rock, but when they saw Nan Yuan effortlessly move it aside, their fear of his power only deepened.

Nan Yuan took a seat in the back.

The four prisoners dared not look back at him.

Tao Shushu yawned. It was already her bedtime, but what was coming next was too exciting to miss.

The cub was about to march into an infamous ability-user gang’s lair with nothing but a little lion.

How could she not provide backup?

Taking down this organization and securing a safe base meant a 1,500-coin reward.

She was about to get rich!

Tao Shushu decided to spend some coins in advance to prepare weapons for Nan Yuan.

She opened the in-game shop and started making arrangements.

First, energy orbs were a must.

That night with the wolf pack, the cub had scavenged a few energy orbs from the vicious wolves, but three had already been used to power the truck.

Energy orbs came in different qualities, and even the lowest-grade ones cost 50 coins each.

Tao Shushu still had 270 coins left.

After thinking it over, she bought two. 

Other than his particle gun, the cub didn’t seem to have any other weapons.

He was skilled in aiming and sniping—as long as he had the right weapon, he never missed his target.

Tao Shushu browsed the shop for a long time before finally finding the perfect item—a miniature weapon launcher.

It looked like an ordinary silver bracelet, but inside, it contained countless ultra-thin needles.

If combined with an energy orb, it could generate air-pressure needles. 

At close range, this would be a highly lethal weapon.

Price: 150 coins.

Tao Shushu bought it without hesitation.

Suddenly, Nan Yuan felt a weight in his arms—something had appeared in his inventory.

Opening his backpack, he found two energy orbs and a bracelet.

Tao Shushu watched nervously as Nan Yuan picked up the miniature launcher, worried that he might accidentally fire it without knowing how it worked.

Luckily, after examining it for a while, he put it on his wrist, and he even got the direction right.

The voice system needed to be unlocked as soon as possible.

Only being able to draw was too inconvenient, Tao Shushu thought.

She still had 22 coins left, which was enough to buy 11 bottles of beginner-level life potions—hopefully, that would last for a while.

Meanwhile, Nan Yuan traced his fingers over the weaponized bracelet and energy orbs that had appeared out of thin air.

Each item bore the same engraved symbol, resembling a script or emblem.

Where did she get all of this?

Since her arrival, she had provided him with highly effective healing potions, radiation-resistant insulated clothing, energy orbs, this new weapon, and even regular clothes.

Nan Yuan lightly pinched the hem of his hoodie—it, too, had the same marking. 

The things she brought ranged from high-tech mechanical gear to everyday clothing.

What kind of organization could produce such a diverse array of items?

And more importantly—where was she getting them from?

As Nan Yuan was lost in thought, the speed-type ability user turned around and spoke, 

“Boss, we’re about to meet up with the Second Squad—ah!”

“Act as usual,” Nan Yuan said.

“Remember my identity—I was once a prisoner, exiled to the other end of this wasteland before the apocalypse. I survived by sheer luck after discovering a hidden treasure. When the beast tide arrived, the creatures on the other side became too overwhelming, so I sought refuge at the base. I am not particularly strong, but even when captured, I refuse to reveal the location of the treasure. My name is Yuan.” 

“Got it.” The four men nodded in unison.

The speed-type ability user turned his head, full of envy.

Look at this guy—he had four or five energy orbs all to himself! A true rich man. Meanwhile, the rest of them worked to the bone and couldn’t even get their hands on one.

Nan Yuan, however, paid no attention to their thoughts. 

He loaded an energy orb into the weaponized bracelet, meticulously preparing for battle. He sharpened his senses, listening closely to the distant sounds.

Meanwhile, Tao Shushu was growing bored. She couldn’t even tease her cub to pass the time, since that would distract him.

So instead, she opened the newly obtained memory fragment.

At that moment, a block of text popped up:

[Congratulations! You have unlocked a hidden quest: It seems your cub has lost a part of his memory. Try your best to help him recover it! Rewards: ???, ???, ???] 

A hidden quest with unknown rewards!

Tao Shushu’s curiosity was piqued.

She continued reading.

“In the battle against humanity, artificial intelligence had the upper hand from the very beginning. Yet, they had been secretly searching for something—something crucial. They scoured every super lab and classified research facility but found no clues.”

Tao Shushu finished reading and immediately started speculating. 

The AIs lost something vital… but what did that have to do with the cub?

Could it be that the cub knew where it was?

As the text vanished, the system displayed a notification: 

[Hidden Quest Progress: 1/10] 

She still needed nine more memory fragments. There was no rushing it, so she closed the hidden quest panel and focused on following the cub forward.

At that moment, the tank came to a halt. 

The speed-type ability user darted outside and chattered away in a flurry of words.

When he returned to the vehicle, he said, “Boss Yuan, Jess believes us now. We can return to the base.” 

Just as the vehicle was about to start moving, Nan Yuan suddenly asked, “What’s that noise outside?”

The speed-type ability user froze. He had already tried to stop it, but Jess was Lin Wei’s top lackey. With a bitter expression, he explained, “He just… so…” 

Before he could finish speaking, Nan Yuan had already vanished. 

His hearing had evolved. 

He had clearly heard a woman struggling, sobbing, and begging for mercy.

Tao Shushu had no idea what encrypted conversation the cub had just had.

But the moment he flashed away, she immediately followed.

And then, she saw a scene that made her stomach churn in disgust.

A greasy-haired man sat inside the vehicle, while a woman knelt before him, shielding her younger sister, desperately pleading for mercy.

The man slapped her aside with a heavy hand, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Then, he grabbed the frail, bean-sprout-thin little sister and pulled her into his arms.

Just as he was about to tear her clothes apart, his slobbering mouth ready to press down—

Tao Shushu’s eyes burned with rage. She slammed her hand against the vehicle’s door.

The reinforced frame didn’t break, but the sheer force of her hit sent the vehicle skidding slightly.

The greasy-haired man lost his balance and slipped to the side.

Panicked, he shoved the frail girl in front of him, using her as a human shield.

Nan Yuan’s gaze turned icy cold and he raised his gun. 

“They don’t want to be treated like this by you.”

The speed-type ability user scrambled out in alarm.

“Boss Yuan… This is a misunderstanding! Stay calm, stay calm!”

In the apocalypse, the weak—those without the power to protect themselves—could only cling to the strong and try to please them in order to survive.

Nan Yuan’s brows furrowed slightly, but he didn’t lower his gun.

Greasy-haired Jess roared, “So this is your so-called cooperation? You all said he wanted to work with us, but he’s just here to challenge the Slaughters! I’ll call the boss right now and—” 

The moment he reached for his communicator, his hand was slammed to the ground, pinned with crushing force.

One by one, his finger bones snapped.

Jess let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Nan Yuan pulled open the car door and, without hesitation, shoved a rock into Jess’s mouth.

“It’s okay now,” he said softly to the little girl.

Tao Shushu, meanwhile, was still busy beating the hell out of Jess.

She spent 1 gold coin to scan Jess’s background and quickly learned the truth— 

Jess was one of the top lackeys of the Slaughters, a filthy parasite who relied on his minor abilities to wreak havoc inside the base. 

If a regular survivor displeased him, they would die on the spot. 

He also regularly assassinated weaker ability users, stealing their energy orbs.

The woman and the little girl in front of them were sisters—neither had abilities. 

The older sister had submitted herself to Jess in exchange for protection. 

Her five-year-old sister was the only soft spot left in her heart.

Jess had actually set his sights on the little sister.

She was only five years old.

Tao Shushu felt disgust roiling in her stomach; she completely crushed Jess’s right hand.

Jess was skilled in close combat, but now? Let’s see how cocky he could be with two useless hands.

The speed ability user watched in shocked silence. “Brother Yuan, your spatial ability is so…proficient.”

Forget about how easily he subdued their group earlier—he hadn’t even moved a step, yet he was controlling Jess from two meters away like it was nothing.

Tao Shushu tugged at Nan Yuan’s sleeve, reminding him not to expose his unseen ‘companion’ in front of others.

Nan Yuan understood instantly. He yanked off Jess’s coat and wrapped it around the shivering little girl.

“It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

The sisters clung to each other, sobbing uncontrollably.

Nan Yuan’s expression softened.

Just then, Jess exploded into action!

He lunged up, delivering a vicious kick!

Nan Yuan twisted fluidly and dodged, then he struck back with his knee— brutally slamming it into Jess’s groin.

At the same time, his hand shot out, gripped Jess by the neck and smashed him into the car.

The members of Jess’s squad finally realized something was wrong and rushed in to save him.

Tao Shushu slammed them into the ground effortlessly.

Nan Yuan raised his wrist—a silent burst of silver needles shot out from his hand ring, eliminating them all.

Jess, even with his mouth still stuffed with a rock, mumbled frantically, his words barely decipherable: “Who… the hell are you? You injured me—Lin Wei won’t agree to any alliance with you now!”

“Alliance?” Nan Yuan chuckled but didn’t answer.

Instead, he asked, “Human ability users… they have energy orbs inside them too, don’t they?”

Jess’s pupils contracted in horror.

Nan Yuan crippled Jess completely and tossed him in front of the two sisters.

“Do what you want with him.”

He unfastened the pouch hanging from Jess’s waist, finding more than ten energy orbs inside.

Seeing the woman fix her gaze on one of them, he asked, “Is it someone you know?” 

The woman nodded. “It’s my father. He was a fire-type ability user.” 

Nan Yuan handed the energy orb to the woman. 

The eyes of the four captives, led by the speed-type ability user, widened in shock, but they didn’t dare to make a single move.

As they resumed driving, Nan Yuan asked, “Do you know what to say?” 

The group frantically nodded.

Nan Yuan focused on the distant sounds, formulating a plan in his mind.

Tao Shushu continued staring at the screen for another ten minutes. After going through multiple layers of security checks, the group finally arrived at the base.

Bored of watching the vehicle, Tao Shushu switched perspectives and sketched out the general layout and defenses of the base.

As she drew, a sense of doubt crept in. The buildings in this base were severely deteriorated—forget a beast tide, even the little lion could probably knock down the walls with a few hard hits.

This place clearly wasn’t the so-called safe base they were looking for.

Anxious about the unknown location of the real safe base, Tao Shushu quickly installed the explosive weapons she had looted from Jess at several guard posts.

Just as she handed over the map detailing the defense layout to Nan Yuan, he and his group stepped into the hall. 

As his gaze landed on the person at the center, a chilling glint flickered in Nan Yuan’s eyes.