Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

When Su Chen closed his hand around the Thunder Element Essence, he felt a slight numbing sensation but no rejection. It was successfully absorbed in about three seconds. Soon, two intersecting lightning marks appeared on his palm.

They were connected like two Jades.

Notably, the Rune was still missing its bottom-right structure, waiting for the next Essence to fall into place.

’I’ve gained control of lightning.’

Su Chen flicked his left hand, and an arc of electricity leaped from his palm, instantly piercing the leaves of a nearby tree.

With a thought, the arc of light magnified and flashed, severing a branch like a plasma cannon.

An Elemental Essence could grant an individual the ability to wield its Elemental Energy. Though not as powerful in effect as an Elemental Rune, it was still a potent means of attack.

"Buddy, you’re seriously incredible!"

The middle-aged man in the vehicle behind was filled with awe. His view had been blocked, so he hadn’t realized the people ahead were under attack. But when he saw the young man get out of his vehicle with a weapon, he hesitated for a moment before finally grabbing an Engineer Shovel and getting out too.

And then, it was over.

The young man leaped onto the hood of the car and cleanly dispatched a strange tiger-leopard creature.

Compared to his own child’s fire-breathing ability, which had come from who knows where, the Elemental Power displayed by this tall young man was undoubtedly far more domineering and mighty.

It was as if he had divine aid.

"Can they still be saved?"

Yang Hongyu paled, speechless. He saw that the SUV was still on fire and the two heavily injured people inside were motionless. They were probably dead.

A lump formed in his throat. He found it hard to accept that two lives had been snuffed out just like that.

After taking a deep breath, Yang Hongyu ran to his RV, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and ran back. A blast of dry powder instantly suppressed the flames, preventing the electric SUV from catching fire completely.

As for the couple inside the car, there was still no breathing or movement.

He grieved for his fellow man.

A little girl peeked out from beside the RV. If her mother hadn’t held her back, she likely would have eagerly run forward.

After briefly wiping his battle-axe, Su Chen looked at the kind, paunchy, middle-aged man and said, "Don’t run around aimlessly with your family. Find a reinforced concrete building and hide. Just get through this difficult period."

There were some things he didn’t say outright. Given the man’s age and physique, it would be almost impossible for him to fight monsters and obtain Power from them.

For a family of three like his, hiding was the best option for now.

’Reinforced concrete buildings are still a safe bet.’

"Did we all just get transported somewhere? This sun... it’s not right!"

There were things Yang Hongyu didn’t dare say to his family. Now that he’d met a capable young man, he let out everything he’d been holding back. "I was an art student when I was young. I painted so many suns and studied light and shadow until I was sick of it. The color of the sun above us now is obviously wrong."

This assessment was based entirely on his professional training.

To be honest, any normal person might intuitively feel something was wrong if they glanced at the sun, but they’d have a hard time articulating what it was.

Besides, who in their right mind stares directly at the sun during the day?

Su Chen had also felt something was wrong, but he only confirmed it because of the abnormal charging speed of his RV’s solar panels.

"Yes. To be precise, the entirety of Dongfu City has been transported," Su Chen replied calmly, confirming the man’s fears. "You can get this information from your car radio."

Yang Hongyu fell silent, his square-jawed face etched with a pained expression, as if he couldn’t process the news.

Their conversation ended there.

He watched the tall figure board the RV and called out gratefully, "Thank you, brother!"

...

After Su Chen got back in his vehicle, the uphill drive became much smoother, perhaps due to the earlier attack. After rounding a small bend, he finally reached a large, flat area.

The round trip had taken nearly an hour.

At the entrance, a young man stood on a high platform, scanning the surroundings with binoculars. He was clearly on lookout duty.

He raised an eyebrow, then grabbed his walkie-talkie. "That’s weird. I don’t see any monsters down the slope now. A car just went down that way, too."

Nearby lay the corpse of a Demon Dog, with a crowd of people gathered around it, snapping photos.

An eccentric-looking young man stepped forward, planted one foot on the Demon Dog’s corpse, squared his shoulders, and struck a front double biceps bodybuilding pose.

Some people held fire axes, two others each carried a Compound Bow, and even the less-equipped held sharp fruit knives or long steel pipes.

A man who could control fire was surrounded by a crowd, being peppered with questions.

This was all perfectly normal. No one was going to sit around and wait to die.

The biggest difference between humans and animals is that humans are skilled at using tools.

The rampant, wild growth of the grass on the wide lawns of the public camping area had already stopped, but its knee-high level was still unnerving.

The grass rippled like waves of wheat, swallowing up many of the camping tables and chairs.

This was, arguably, the most conspicuous sign of the recent elemental surge.

Perhaps because the campground’s parking lot was too close to the dangerous areas, some people had driven their cars directly onto the overgrown grass. The number of vehicles parked along the sides of the paths had also increased dramatically.

Su Chen drove slowly along the commercial street, with the white RV following close behind. As they passed a well-known chain coffee shop, the middle-aged man honked his horn in a gesture of thanks and then found a spot to park.

He had clearly taken the advice and stopped wandering recklessly.

Whether it was to take shelter or to join the crowd in panic buying, the number of people inside and outside the shop had risen dramatically compared to half an hour ago. There was even a security guard at the door, holding a riot shield in one hand and a steel fork in the other, nervously observing the situation.

A megaphone sat on a small folding table, playing a looped announcement from the store.

"...Visitors are welcome to take shelter in the store. Free drinking water is available. Due to a temporary power outage, there is no air conditioning or fan service. We appreciate your understanding."

Gotta say, the manager of this shop was a stand-up person.

In contrast, the nearby Bonfire General Store had long since been locked up tight, with a large padlock hanging on the door. The portly owner was nowhere to be seen, though some people were outside, banging on the door and shouting for him to open for business.

It wasn’t just the general store; a nearby fruit stand and a trendy influencer-owned boutique had also closed their doors.

A camping supply store had been temporarily converted into a first-aid station. One person was receiving CPR, while a nearby recreational area was covered with tents and tarps, where many family members were weeping with their faces in their hands.

The first wave of monsters had clearly caused a great deal of trouble for the humans.

Soon, Su Chen’s attention was drawn to an all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant at the end of the street. A group of young people was dragging the carcass of a tiger-leopard creature out of the shop.

"...That Fire Tiger killed who knows how many people. I was chased all over by it. If it hadn’t suddenly gone nuts and charged into the barbecue place, I would’ve been a goner for sure," a young man exclaimed, still shaken by the memory.

"The scene was pretty bloody. A bunch of people with bows cornered it inside. That Fire Tiger took over ten arrows before it finally went down," someone else added.

The comment was casual, but it caught Su Chen’s attention.

He realized the tiger-leopards now had a second elemental attribute.

Then, Su Chen suddenly remembered something. He yanked the steering wheel, parked the RV on the wild grass, got out, and dashed straight for the all-you-can-eat barbecue restaurant.

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