"So this is the Source Crystal."
In his hand, a small translucent white crystal stone appeared to be the most beautiful gem in the world. Before the apocalypse, having such a crystal was enough to find a partner!
It was the first ti Tang Yu saw it, yet he was certain it was a Source Crystal, not a diamond. Holding it tightly, he could feel a warmth, an astonishing energy hidden within.
This Source Crystal, checked by the system, contained about one unit of energy. It was not found on the Awakeners, who were even poorer than Tang Yu imagined. Or perhaps they hadn't carried anything with them. Despite searching the corpses of several Awakeners along the way, he hadn't found anything valuable.
The Source Crystal was extracted from the Demonized Beasts. He dissected the heads of several Demonized Beasts' corpses but only managed to dig out this one. His dissection skills had improved quite a bit.
Tang Yu started to worry if he could gather one hundred units of Source Crystals. If these Awakeners were indeed too poor or so had escaped with the crystals, it would be a huge loss for him.
As ti ticked away, he found so food, filled his stomach a bit, and continued his search. The conditions in the villa area were better. After searching through most of the villas in this area, he had tucked ten or so Source Crystals in his pocket.
"Unfortunately, these Source Crystals are far from enough. Hopefully, in this last villa, I can find enough Source Crystals."
It was a standalone villa, occupying a larger area and more luxurious. It was the last villa Tang Yu could search in the eastern part of the villa area. The whole villa area was divided into east and west sections. Although the west section covered a larger area, there was a considerable distance between the two sections. If he couldn't gather enough Source Crystals in the east section and had to go to the west section, the danger would increase significantly.
Tang Yu carefully walked into the villa garden when suddenly.
"Beep beep! A source crystal energy reaction exceeding one hundred units detected within a hundred ters ahead, please retrieve it quickly... Beep beep! Detected..."
The system's voice echoed in his mind, and Tang Yu almost cried out in surprise. This poor system with no system spirit actually responded. Hearing the contents of the voice, his face imdiately lit up with joy.
"Heaven hasn't abandoned !"
Though the villa was large, it was more severely damaged. Along the way, the ground had deep craters from explosions, and the garden's trees and grass seed roasted by fierce flas, leaving only ashes everywhere.
Tang Yu entered through a broken wall and saw the devastation inside. One bedroom door was ajar, and he could vaguely see a broken safe inside with glittering lights.
"Found it!"
He quickly stepped forward, reaching the bedroom door, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
His pupils contracted sharply!
In the bedroom, beside the broken safe, was a Demonized Beast about the size of a wild boar, with brown fur extending outward like steel spikes. The beast was facing away from Tang Yu, gnawing on sothing unknown.
Creak, creak, the sound was particularly loud in such an environnt. Tang Yu held his breath, not daring to make a sound.
He recognized this strange creature in front of him, a Demonized Beast!
Compared to humans, animals affected by the red fog might demonize, forming new kinds of Demonized Beasts. The one before him now was a Demonized Beast ford from an ordinary mouse, a Demonized Steel Rat!
In the hierarchy of Demonized Beasts, it was at the bottom. However, it still posed a deadly threat to Tang Yu!
Instinctively wanting to retreat, he unexpectedly found that the Demonized Steel Rat had already noticed him. With a squealing sound, the entire body, like a brown flesh ball, charged straight at Tang Yu.
The brown flesh ball moved extrely fast, and the steel spikes on its skin glead coldly. After a brief hesitation, Tang Yu knew he couldn't escape!
His only chance of survival was to kill the Demonized Steel Rat and get the Source Crystal!
This thought flashed through his mind, and suddenly, Tang Yu cald down.
He stared intently at the approaching Demonized Steel Rat; in his eyes, all he saw was the moving brown figure.
Thirty steps, twenty steps, ten steps...
Tang Yu gripped the gun with both hands, the dark muzzle aiming at the approaching Demonized Steel Rat!
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"
Flas burst from the barrel of the pistol, each bullet carrying intense kinetic energy, striking the Demonized Steel Rat.
Tang Yu had no shooting practice. But maybe because of the very short distance or due to his intense focus, five shots hit from a magazine full of bullets.
The fur of the Demonized Steel Rat was torn in several places, with dark green blood oozing from its wounds. It had been severely injured, shrieking in pain. Yet, the Demonized creature showed tenacious vitality, and the gleam in the Demonized Steel Rat's eyes remained fierce.
Unmindful, it continued charging at Tang Yu!
Tang Yu's fierceness flared up, and dropping the empty handgun, he pulled out a short knife, opened his eyes wide, and began stabbing desperately.
Slash after slash, blood splattered, his arm and chest were stained in colorful patches, but Tang Yu felt nothing, only exerting force continuously.
Regaining his senses later, Tang Yu didn't know how many slashes he had made, as the Demonized Steel Rat lay in a pool of blood long ago.
"Huff huff~"
Tang Yu panted heavily, feeling his arms swollen and sore, his clothes tattered, and especially the knife-wielding arm having steel-spike-caused wounds. Any slight movent brought sharp pain.
He didn't have ti to relax when suddenly his face changed again.
Growls of Demonized Beasts ca from outside the house.
Tang Yu knew that the gunshots just now had attracted more Demonized creatures.
A humanoid Demonized Beast, entirely gray-black and over two ters tall, with sharp claws on its hands, appeared in Tang Yu's sight.
A giant fiery red scorpion followed closely behind.
A huge black snake, emitting green gas, appeared.
Tang Yu's expression beca extrely grave. Any of these three Demonized Beasts was far more formidable than the earlier Demonized Steel Rat.
He wasn't a match for them!
Tang Yu turned and ran, regardless of the pain in his body, lunging toward the Source Crystal, reaching out to press on it.
"Beep beep, one hundred and twenty-five units of Source Crystal detected, Lord has one hundred and forty-one units of Source Crystal, establish Lord's castle?"
"Establish, quickly!"
Source Crystals disappeared as points of light, like the most brilliant fireflies. Tang Yu felt a pang of heartache, as it was perhaps the most "money" he'd ever had in his lifeti.
The dazzling light and, in an instant, it seed like a breeze swept through, and the place underwent a trendous change.
The previously wrecked interior of the villa was gone, replaced by a scene of classical decor.
The ground was covered with red carpets, and magnificent chandeliers hung from the ceiling.
On the walls, either exquisite murals were mounted, or it was inlaid with large crystals.
The indoor tables and chairs emitted a light wooden scent, made from so unknown timber, and there was even a wide, soft leather sofa perfect to lie on like a bed.
Several lifelike sculptures were present.
A basketball-sized crystal floated in the center.
Tang Yu was almost stunned into silence. Was it necessary to be so lavish? During the apocalypse, indulging in such luxury could erode his strong willpower. This was simply... too embarrassing!
Though the hall was indeed luxurious, he knew the most critical issue was still the threat posed by the three Demonized Beasts outside.
Tang Yu shifted his attention to the back. Where the villa's main door used to be, a large three-ter-high, four-ter-wide gateway had ford. At the mont, standing by the open gate were two Puppet Guards, clad in blue and white armor, masked, holding long spears, resembling imposing Gate Gods.
Tang Yu understood that these were the puppet guards included when establishing the core castle, as ntioned by the system.
Through the gate, the outside world still remained in its original chaotic state, forming a stark contrast with the luxurious hall inside the door.
Tang Yu was still quite tense. These three Demonized Beasts seed formidable, and he wasn't sure about the strength of these Puppet Guards, or whether they could handle the three Demonized Beasts.
Without a word, one of the Puppet Guards stepped back a few paces, guarding the castle gate.
The other Puppet Guard took a stance and, as the swift fiery red scorpion approached, suddenly moved!
The Puppet Guard's figure blurred, the next mont it appeared in front of the scorpion, the air exploded, and the spear tip penetrated layer upon layer of barriers. Before the fiery red scorpion could react, its carapace was completely breached.
From below to above, a spear through the head!
The first Demonized creature, dead!
But it wasn't over yet!
Finishing off the scorpion, the Puppet Guard went on the offensive. Though clad in full-body armor, it moved quicker than any Demonized Beast Tang Yu had ever seen. The entire body turned into blue lightning, and with a few leaps, it reached the other two Demonized Beasts.
The sound of the spear slicing through the air was thunderous! The Puppet Guard's combat style was simple and brutish. One hack, one stab, and such simple attacks were incredibly terrifying when augnted with unparalleled speed and power.
In the blink of an eye, the humanoid Demonized Beast's skull was smashed, and the huge black snake was skewered with a single thrust!
At this mont, only a few seconds had passed. The two Demonized Beasts still maintained their prior charging postures. Upon death, they rolled forward with inertia, and their mixed blood sared long tracks across the ground.
The whooshing sound of the spear slicing through the air seed to linger nearby. For a mont, Tang Yu was stunned. Were these three Demonized Beasts too weak?
But he knew the issue wasn't the Beasts being weak; rather, the Puppet Guards were genuinely powerful, far surpassing any Awakener he had ever seen!
These Puppet Guards were simply incredible! Tang Yu thought spending one hundred units of Source Crystal was truly worthwhile; please give a few more, would you?!
The three massive Demonized Beast corpses lay outside the castle gate, and an invisible fluctuation emanated from these dead Demonized Beasts. A small portion dispersed into the air, while a larger part drifted toward Tang Yu's direction.
Tang Yu's eyes widened, a look of excitent involuntarily spreading across his face.
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