Even Crawlers with their hardened shells could be cleaved in half by Lucas Kane. Compared to them, these so-called "ordinary humans" were nothing at all. Even those who had trained themselves into the tier of Exceptionally Strong still belonged within the boundaries of human limits.
"P-please… don't kill me…"
The last survivor, a doll-faced woman from Neon, trembled violently. Her face was drained of color, her voice shaking as she begged for her life—in fluent Dragon Republic Mandarin.
Lucas arched a brow. "You can speak Mandarin?"
"Y-yes… I'm a Neon exchange student. My name is Minako Lee… in Dragon Republic I also go by the name Li Xue. Honestly, I'm not even close with those three. We just crossed paths on the road. They forced me to translate, since they couldn't read the chat in this region. I… I love the Dragon Republic, I didn't want to go with them. Please, you must believe me—I'm not one of them."
Her voice cracked with tears, every word dripping with desperation.
Lucas's gaze sharpened. "You mentioned a Neon region. What do you mean by that?"
Minako clutched her hands to her chest. "It's like this. This area's chat channel is filled with Dragon Republic survivors, which means everyone nearby is from here. But those three… they crossed the river from the other side. Over there, everyone speaks Neon's language. They assumed this side was the same. They didn't expect to be unable to communicate."
"And why would they risk crossing the river?" Lucas pressed.
She hesitated. "They never told me directly… but I overheard them. They said the other side is mostly residential districts, short on supplies and shelter. One of them saw a map of Sunhaven City, and realized this side is the commercial center. More food, more safehouses. So… they came to scout."
Her words tumbled out as if she feared every breath might be her last.
Lucas's expression remained cold. "If you want me to spare you, hand over anything valuable. Then you can walk away."
"Ah? I… I don't have much…" Minako looked helpless.
"That's fine. I can just kill you and take whatever's in your storage ring. Then I'll know if you lied."
"No! Please!" Panic overtook her. She hurriedly pulled objects from her ring, placing them on the ground as her voice cracked with pleading: "These… these are everything I have. Please, take them. Just don't kill me…"
On the dirt lay:
[Sailor Uniform] ×1
[Cat-Ear Cosplay Outfit] ×1
[Frying Pan] ×1
[Unknown Vibrating Sphere] ×1
[Unidentified Cylindrical Object] ×1
[Instant Noodle Bucket] ×3
[Carbonated Drink] ×5
[Energy Crystal Core] ×1
[Mutated Fertilizer] ×5
"…This is it?" Lucas's face darkened. Is this woman insane? In the apocalypse, she's hoarding costumes? For who?
And yet, the system wasn't much better. It had failed to properly identify the last two bizarre objects. Lucas sighed inwardly. I already know what they are, but fine—pretend ignorance, system.
He crouched, picked up the noodles, the sodas, and the lone core. "These three I'll take. The rest, keep. Now leave."
Minako froze. Without food or water, how could she survive? But when her eyes flicked to the blood-stained Tang Blade still dripping scarlet in Lucas's hand, she dared not argue. She hastily swept her items back into her ring, bowed several times, and fled.
Lucas turned, placed his palm on the corpses of the three Neon men.
"Harvest."
Ding! Congratulations, you've obtained:
[Energy Crystal Core] ×125+25
[Mutated Fertilizer] ×890
[Clean Fabric] ×432
[Sharp Katana] ×3
[Unknown Vibrating Object] ×3
[Red Candles] ×35
[Durable Rope] ×7
[Instant Noodle Bucket] ×35
[Bottled Sake] ×24
[Obscene Video Data] ×32
[Storage Ring Shards] ×73
Even after collecting the resources, Lucas didn't leave. He silently followed the path Minako had taken.
He had never spared her out of mercy. He wanted to see whether her story held truth. In this world, lying had become second nature. Anyone could put on a convincing performance if it meant survival.
Minako might appear pitiful, but Lucas never trusted her.
As an Awakened, his perception far surpassed hers. Every ragged breath, every hurried footfall of hers carried to him with clarity, even from dozens of meters away.
Unaware of being shadowed, Minako sprinted three to four hundred meters, finally pausing beneath a streetlamp to catch her breath. Then, she froze. For over ten seconds her expression went blank. Lucas knew instantly—she was opening her system interface, contacting someone.
When she refocused, her demeanor transformed. Gone was the trembling, tear-streaked girl. Her eyes turned sharp, calculating, and proud.
So. She was acting all along.
Ten minutes later, the roar of an engine echoed. A rugged off-road vehicle barreled down the street, a zombie plastered across its hood. When the car braked, the corpse flew off.
Two Neon men jumped out. One helped Minako inside. The other drew a katana, stabbing the downed zombie clean through the skull. With a flick of his hand, the body vanished—collected by his system.
Lucas's eyes narrowed. So, more Neon Survivors. And Minako's lies have only just begun.