The weak morning light pierced through the early mist, awakening the ruined space of the toll station. Thuong Sinh opened his eyes; his deep black pupils remained as alert as if he had never slept. He moved his shoulders slightly, sensing the blood power within him, which had become more submissive after a night of circulation.
Lam Thanh Moc also just woke up, shivering slightly from the chill of the early mist. After a brief cleanup and consuming a small amount of dry rations, the two quickly set out.
After traveling for about two hours, the asphalt road—already cracked—suddenly vanished, replaced by a vast lowland emitting a pungent stench. It was the "Death Junkyard," an area on the map he had seen before.
This was an area that served as a dumping ground for chemical waste from northern industrial zones before the apocalypse began. Now, rusted drums were shattered, leaking purple and green liquids that saturated the earth.
"Be careful, don't breathe deeply," Thuong Sinh spoke deeply, tightening the cloth covering Lam Thanh Moc's nose and mouth.
Lam Thanh Moc frowned, sensing the withered plants around: "There is no life here."
In contrast to her, Thuong Sinh suddenly felt a terrifying resonance. The moment he stepped into the junkyard's range, the black shell encasing his heart began to beat incessantly. Minute toxin molecules in the air seemed to be unintentionally pulled toward him by some force, entering through his pores and merging into his black-purple bloodstream.
He felt the blood poison within him burning. This was not a backlash but a craving. Those chemical wastes were a powerful stimulant for the "Marsh Blood Corrupting Heart Manual".
"Thuong Sinh, your face..." Lam Thanh Moc reached out in worry to touch him, but she immediately pulled her hand back. His flesh at this moment was radiating a faint black smoke, hot enough to scald.
"I am fine... don't come close," Thuong Sinh spoke through gritted teeth, his voice turning hoarse. His eyes began to show deep purple blood vessels.
He had to use his will to restrain the storm rising in his veins. If he let it erupt here, he might suck dry all the toxins in this area, but his body at this moment was not necessarily able to withstand such an immense amount of impure energy.
Suddenly, from within the piles of waste, there were rustling sounds. Bald heads, with flesh missing in patches and deformed, slowly emerged. Dozens of deformed undead began to advance toward them, yellow fluid dripping from their mouths, corroding even the asphalt.
Thuong Sinh gripped his sword hilt; he didn't draw it immediately but let his gloved hand lightly touch the fabric. A surge of deep black aura of death erupted from him, causing the leading undead to freeze; their instincts sensed a 'poison' even more terrifying than the chemicals they carried within themselves.
Thuong Sinh understood his state clearly. The toxic chemicals from the surrounding environment were like kindling thrown into a boiling oil pan within his veins. If he lingered too long, the excitement of the extreme poison would exceed the control of his reason.
"Fall back behind me."
He moved, lunging straight toward the group of Zombies, the bandages sliding off his sword.
Slash—!
The sword spun in a circle; the blade didn't carry the cold shine of metal but was surrounded by a surge of black aura. The Zombies growled, dozens of deformed figures lunging simultaneously, their distorted arms stretching out.
The sword in his hand vibrated, the black aura from the extreme poison completely enveloping the entire blade.
"Blade Wind"
His wrist flicked extremely fast; lines of wind-tearing blade force were unleashed, carrying the extreme poison of the internal power within him.
Rip! Rip! Rip!
The first Zombies to charge were swept through by the blade force, their deformed bodies instantly torn apart. The undead behind still knew no fear, trampling over their own kind to surge forward. Thuong Sinh felt the chemicals in his veins seething.
"Phantom Steps"
His body suddenly blurred, leaving a series of afterimages amidst the circle of monsters. The Zombies lunged and missed; he glided through, the sword in his hand continuously unleashing strikes—with every movement, a head fell.
However, the number of Zombies was too great; they frantically trampled over each other. Thuong Sinh clearly sensed the toxic internal power within him beginning to lose its stability.
"Sword Kinesis: Gale Transformation"
"Go!"
The toxic internal power, instead of just enveloping the blade, now began to move in a bizarre trajectory. A dense black wind suddenly coiled around the blade, creating a razor-sharp air membrane. The "Wind" attribute from the technique combined with "Blood Poison" made his sword at this moment no different from a miniature storm of death.
He swung the sword hard forward.
A wind-tearing blade force over three meters long launched at a terrifying speed, blowing away and crushing everything in its path. The Zombies were caught in the black wind, immediately shredded into small fragments.
The road ahead was cleared in an instant. Thuong Sinh did not hesitate; he turned, picked up Lam Thanh Moc, and mobilized his footwork.
"Phantom Steps"
Once they had completely escaped that area, only then did Thuong Sinh stop and set Lam Thanh Moc down. He dropped to one knee, chest heaving in ragged gasps. The black shell around his heart pounded hard, trying to regulate the chaotic internal power.
"Are you okay?" Lam Thanh Moc approached anxiously.
"I... am fine," Thuong Sinh answered with effort.
He closed his eyes, concentrating his entire spirit to circulate his power. The black shell around his heart gradually stabilized, beginning to swallow the remnants of the chemical surge from earlier. After a while, his breathing settled, and the black veins on his neck slowly receded.
"Let's keep moving," he said, standing up.
Lam Thanh Moc nodded, looking worriedly at his still-pale face: "Looking at the map, there is a forest ahead. We can stop there."
"Mm."
They continued forward. The further North they went, the small towns along the road became mere iron skeletons; not a soul remained, and even Zombies became sparse.
Over an hour later, the desolate scene of the rusted town faded behind them. Before them appeared a forest—the place Lam Thanh Moc had mentioned on the map. The forest ahead was thin, with gnarled, bumpy trunks and leaves turned yellow due to lack of nutrients. The ground was covered in dry leaves, with occasional jagged wild bushes growing between rocks.
"We will rest here," Thuong Sinh spoke, his voice less hoarse.
He led her deeper inside a bit, finding a small clearing surrounded by large tree trunks, enough to shield their view from the road. Thuong Sinh sat down, leaning against an old tree. He placed the sword across his knees, closing his eyes to begin recovering. The black shell around his heart was now smoother, slowly absorbing the final remnants of that chemical poison, turning them into part of his own strength.
Lam Thanh Moc sat quietly opposite him. She took out a bit of remaining clean water to give him, but seeing him with eyes closed, she placed it beside him. She did not disturb him, only sitting there silently, occasionally scanning the surroundings. The rustling of dry leaves in the wind and the chirping of birds in the forest created a serene space.
Thuong Sinh's breathing gradually became stable again. His pale face returned to a healthy glow, and the gloomy black aura completely retracted into his body. That night, under Lam Thanh Moc's watch, Thuong Sinh completed the transformation of all toxins from the "Death Junkyard" into internal power.
Nearly a week later.
The journey North was harsher than expected. Both had to cross plains where the ground was so parched not a blade of grass could grow, and pass through ruined industrial zones.
For over six days, Thuong Sinh and Lam Thanh Moc hardly stopped for long anywhere. They moved like two ghosts, avoiding pointless battles and groups of bandits. The further North they went, the drier the air became.
By the afternoon of the seventh day, after crossing a low ridge, Thuong Sinh suddenly stopped, his eyes narrowing as he looked into the distance.
"Have we arrived?" Lam Thanh Moc stood beside him, shielding her eyes from the sun; her voice carried both weariness and relief.
In the distance, beyond the mist, a giant dark silhouette began to appear, blocking a section of the sky. It wasn't a rocky mountain but a fortress of steel with towering watchtowers. Massive interconnected pipelines wove together.
Iron City.
A place dubbed the black heart of the North, the largest transit point for sinners.
Thuong Sinh tightened the sword at his hip, feeling the vibration of the blade as if it were impatient to be reforged in the fires of that city.
"Go," Thuong Sinh said deeply.
After over half an hour, the two finally began to see more clearly; the massive iron gates were ahead, and to reach them, they had to cross an iron bridge. The surroundings were more crowded, with various cargo vehicles entering and exiting.
Thuong Sinh and Lam Thanh Moc walked in the middle of the road; there were also several disheveled refugees waiting by the iron bridge. At the end of the bridge was a checkpoint with guards wearing homemade iron armor, clutching rifles.
"Half a kilo of food or one canister of fuel per person; if you don't have it, get out!" a guard roared, pushing an old man down onto the road.
Thuong Sinh didn't want to attract attention having just set foot here. He signaled Lam Thanh Moc to stay silent, then slowly took out a small pouch sufficient for two people to pass. He threw the pouch onto the inspection table: "Fee for two."
the scrawny guard looked at the bag of dry rations then glanced at Lam Thanh Moc standing behind Thuong Sinh. Though she was wrapped in a scarf, her slender figure and aura still couldn't be hidden among this crowd.
The guard bared his teeth in a smile—a vile smile. He didn't deign to touch the food pouch but reached out a filthy hand intending to grab Lam Thanh Moc's chin.
"The food is enough, but this little girl looks quite... 'clean'." "Leave her here to check her infection levels thoroughly."
The guards around began to laugh vulgarly. Lam Thanh Moc took a step back, her hand already gripping a cloud-vine seed, her eyes flashing with anger.
But before she could strike, a chilling aura of death suddenly enveloped the surrounding space.
Thuong Sinh had struck; no one could see when Thuong Sinh drew the sword from his hip. A blurred black streak flashed through the air like a bolt of lightning.
"Aaaaagh—!"
A tragic scream rang out; the guard's reaching hand was severed from the wrist, thudding onto the ground. The horror was that the wound didn't bleed red but was immediately covered by a layer of black aura; rotting flesh was corroding from the man's arm at a staggering speed.
The entire guard post instantly fell into a frozen state. Other guards intended to raise their guns, but Thuong Sinh had released the black aura to the entire area; if he wanted, he could kill everyone in less than three seconds.
"I pay the fee to buy peace; if you want to die, I will oblige." Thuong Sinh looked around coldly, his dense killing intent causing the guards to involuntarily retreat, cold sweat pouring down.
The lead guard at the post, recognizing that the person before him was a terrifying expert, hurriedly waved his hand signaling his comrades to lower their weapons. He knew well that in Iron City, dying at the hands of the strong was a common occurrence, and superiors would never stand up for fools who dared to touch the wrong person.
"Let... let them through! Fast!" the commander said tremblingly.
Thuong Sinh re-wrapped his sword and placed it at his hip; the pressure vanished. He took Lam Thanh Moc's hand, nonchalantly walking past the writhing guard who had lost his hand to poison; he had no intention of retracting it—that man would be tortured to death as the poison entered his body. He intentionally let the toxin spread slowly to make the man's life worse than death.
To him, Lam Thanh Moc was the final boundary; anyone who touched her must pay in blood.
Lam Thanh Moc looked at his cold profile, her heart skipping a beat. She knew that no matter how rotten this world was, as long as she stood behind him, she would always be protected by an inviolable "forbidden zone."
"Thank you," she said happily.
Thuong Sinh did not look back, his hand still tightly clutching hers, feeling the small warmth amidst the coldness of the rusted steel.
"No need for thanks," he replied, but his tone had softened a few degrees compared to when he faced the guards. "You are the only person who has come with me this far. Protecting you is what I must do."
After a few more minutes, they reached the massive iron gates of Iron City.
The giant iron gates of Iron City slowly opened with the ear-piercing screech of grinding metal, revealing a completely different world. There was no green of plants, only blocks of grey steel and electric sparks flying from mechanical workshops on both sides of the street.
The moment they stepped through the gates, a blast of sweltering air carrying a heavy smell of machine oil hit their faces. Thuong Sinh felt the ground beneath his feet vibrate slightly with the rhythm of machinery operating deep underground.
"Be careful, stay close to me," Thuong Sinh instructed, his hand still not letting go of Lam Thanh Moc's.
They walked between streets built from old shipping containers and steel plates. The residents here looked at them with cold but wary eyes; perhaps the news of a guard having his hand severed and dying of poison at the city gate had spread faster than their footsteps.
Though he didn't want to attract attention, Thuong Sinh's sharp, gloomy aura made those with ill intentions reconsider.
As they walked, Thuong Sinh suddenly stopped before a tattered electronic billboard, its red light blinking jaggedly. On it were pasted scraps of paper—missing persons notices or bounties. His eyes scanned them quickly, then froze at a yellowed paper; in the bottom corner was printed a familiar symbol: The white owl of North Heaven University.
"Seeking individuals with knowledge of nuclear energy and precision mechanics. Gathering location: Forge District No. 7."
He secretly tightened his grip on Lam Thanh Moc's hand. North Heaven University was famous for these research fields. His older brother was an outstanding student there; if he were still alive, he certainly wouldn't miss the chance to find fellow schoolmates.
Lam Thanh Moc noticed the change in his breathing; she looked in the direction of Thuong Sinh's gaze and asked softly: "Did you find something?"
"Possibly."
Thuong Sinh retracted his gaze, his voice deepening but full of determination. "We will go to the Forge District first. Both to search for news and to find a blacksmith to check this sword."
They walked through crowds of mechanics in greasy leather clothes, heading West, where the power hammers rang loudest and the black smoke rose highest.