Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

"Sometimes, you just have to marvel at how building walls to fend off invaders is truly a timeless endeavor. Our ancestors were doing it two thousand years ago, and now it’s our turn," someone lamented.

As Dongfu City mobilized massive teams of construction machinery to build its outer defenses, the Qingye Collection campsite, an isolated outpost, was also working feverishly in sync.

In comparison, the scale of their operation was naturally rather paltry.

They had no excavators, bulldozers, or tower cranes, nor did they have large quantities of steel and concrete. All they could do was line up immobilized cars along the riverbank to serve as a low wall.

To that end.

Some tourists who had been briefed on the plan, despite deciding to leave by climbing Cyan Dragon Ridge, still left their car keys behind, saving others the trouble of having four or five people push each car into place.

Su Chen took a set of car keys, drove a Cadillac to the edge of the outdoor sandy area, and parked it.

Just as he got out of the car, someone ran up.

"I’ll handle dismantling the fuel tank."

The man, an engineering department employee in a work uniform, immediately slid under the car. With a crowbar, he precisely smashed open the fuel tank’s cover plate, inserted a siphon pump into the outlet, and began siphoning the gasoline into a large container.

Trying to violently rip out the entire tank would have been far more troublesome and energy-intensive.

Su Chen had no time to watch him siphon gas. Seeing several people up ahead struggling to push a car, he ran over to lend a hand.

The cars were also being positioned at the edge of the outdoor sandy area.

It was worth noting that the main focus of the entire defensive effort was on the west side of the campsite.

This wasn’t due to some ulterior motive.

A look at the map showed that to the west, the outdoor sandy area, the parking lot, and the original campsite entrance bordered the Mysterious Forest directly. The outer wall that should have been there had been left behind on Earth.

As a result, there was no river to act as a barrier in this area—it was a wide, open plain. If the demonic beasts broke through here, they could rampage through the public camping grounds in the core area.

This also made it the most difficult area to defend.

Therefore.

On this flat expanse, everyone worked to set up two lines of car barricades, one behind the other, to slow the momentum of the demonic beasts’ charge.

The sawhorse barricades from the original campsite entrance were also being put to full use.

Though this plan had many flaws, it was the best temporary solution they could come up with.

Time truly waited for no one.

The magnificent sunset on the horizon was visibly devouring the last of the daylight.

Behind the car barricade, a tall floodlight pole had been erected with a generator at its base. Once the engineering staff finished their checks, it could be switched on at a moment’s notice to illuminate the night.

At the same time, outdoor fire pits had been placed along the defensive line and were already being lit.

「15 minutes later.」

As Su Chen and a few others pushed a Volvo to the river’s edge, he noticed the water level had dropped even further, exposing the riverbed on both sides.

Someone had earlier suggested tossing oil drums onto the riverbed, planning to ignite them the moment a large number of demonic beasts leaped across the makeshift moat.

Setting aside the question of its lethality, they couldn’t afford to squander such a vital energy source.

Additionally.

Su Chen saw several rugged SUVs and pickup trucks being modified. Steel battering rams were being fitted to their front ends, apparently with the intent to use the vehicles’ momentum to crash into the demonic beasts.

’It’s a good idea.’

A two- or three-ton rugged SUV, once it picked up speed for a collision, could absolutely send a tiger or leopard-like beast flying.

The difference in mass could be as much as tenfold.

However, charging at beasts that could use magical attacks was also extremely dangerous. The engineering staff had even taken special care to reinforce the front windshields with steel grilles.

At this moment.

The public camping area was filled with the rich aroma of barbecue, with at least twenty grills already loaded with charcoal and lit.

The SIZZLE of fat dripping onto the charcoal and the pungent aroma of sprinkled cumin were enough to whet anyone’s appetite.

It was dinnertime.

The campsite had plenty of abandoned barbecue supplies, and it would have been a huge waste not to gather the clean items and cook them.

"If we don’t live to see tomorrow, this might very well be our last meal."

The provisions promised by the campsite’s general manager, Shao Jingchuan, also arrived. A pack of large steaks, a bag of broccoli, a case of bread, and two cases of water were distributed to each of the dining groups.

"Get a load of this. Broccoli with a two-year shelf life."

Someone holding a package of vegetables frozen solid clucked his tongue in amazement. To think that in this day and age, they’d be eating two-year-old pre-packaged vegetables.

It was still so cold to the touch that he was forced to drop it less than a second after picking it up.

"So *this* is the crap they sell at this campsite." The person was truly speechless.

"What else did you expect? You think the kind of people who can take over a huge, beautiful scenic spot to run a campsite these days are actually good?"

A local hiker had strong opinions on the matter. "Back in the day, you didn’t have to pay a single cent for a ticket to get in here."

"Now, you don’t have to think twice about the fences and barbed wire appearing in these defensive works. They’re clearly intended to enclose the land and build a wall to stop us hikers from sneaking in."

He continued his rant, "The shops in the food court probably aren’t even run by the campsite itself. Now this general manager is just winning favor with someone else’s property to buy our loyalty. Besides, how long can the backup diesel generator for his central cold storage even last? That’s for emergencies. Where’s he getting enough diesel to maintain those ultra-low temperatures?"

’How long can the diesel last? Three days? Five days?’

’Once the diesel runs out, all this frozen meat, frozen vegetables, and all the other pre-packaged meal kits will just rot in the cold storage.’

"When that time comes, forget broccoli, you won’t even be able to lick the frost off the walls!" The local hiker was really on a roll now.

He’d clearly been holding this grudge for a while.

A well-built young man nearby shook his head and smiled. "Judge the deed, not the thought. Whatever his reasons, that Manager Shao is still providing us with food and water."

Su Chen stood to the side in silence, focused only on replenishing his own nutrients and calories. After eating two oysters and three skewers of chicken drumettes, he went up to a grill to toast a marshmallow skewer.

The firelight flickered across his face, casting it in shifting light and shadow.

The sky had already grown dark, the afterglow of the sunset nearly devoured by the encroaching night.

The tall floodlights around the camp began to switch on, casting swaying halos of light into the darkness.

Once the marshmallow slowly expanded in the heat and its skin formed a golden-brown crust, Su Chen immediately pulled it back. A sweet dessert to cut the richness, it neutralized the greasy feeling from the grilled meat he’d eaten earlier.

After finishing, he ate a few pieces of bread, grabbed a bottle of water, and promptly left.

The amount of food he’d eaten was barely a snack for him, but considering the fierce battle that awaited him tonight, he couldn’t afford to eat until he was full.

Back in his RV, Su Chen began to organize his gear. He took a flashlight and a pair of active-infrared night vision goggles from a storage locker.

It wasn’t surprising for an RV used for overnight stays in the wild to be equipped with such gear.

Of course.

Without a tactical belt, he had to settle for a fanny pack, into which he put his go-to golf balls, a tactical knife, the night vision goggles, and two empty bottles for holding Elemental Essence.

After thoroughly spraying himself with mosquito repellent, everything was ready.

Su Chen’s mind was preternaturally calm. There was no fear, only a secret excitement buried deep in his veins, surging quietly like magma.

This was his first night in this fantastical new world.

Tonight would be anything but a silent night.

Finally.

Su Chen adjusted his family’s heirloom Jade Pendant, pressing it against his skin. Feeling the smooth warmth of the peace medallion against his chest, he walked straight out of the RV.

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