Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

In terms of Rune structure, the synthesis sequence was Fire, wood, and Fire.

The high-strength alloy of the golf club was also more than capable of handling the fiery power. After successfully absorbing the Rune, fine, fiery-red patterns appeared on its surface.

Its original cold, gray metallic luster gradually shifted to a dark red.

Before long, a runic weapon had taken shape.

As for its effects...

Su Chen touched it, attempting to draw out its Elemental Power. But there was a better way: he tried to create a Resonance with it directly, using the Flame Burst Rune in his Sea of Consciousness.

The method worked.

The golf club trembled. Under the Rune’s influence, a torrent of violent flames erupted directly from the club head. The fire didn’t just spread wildly; instead, it rapidly condensed and contracted, instantly forming a ball of fire.

"The Fireball Technique!?"

If Su Chen wasn’t mistaken, its appearance was a dead ringer for it.

To test it, he swung the club a little awkwardly, sending the ball of fire that had condensed at the head flying. After tracing a graceful arc, the Fireball landed in the distant river, sending up a splash.

The light from the flames also illuminated a long snake in the water.

’It really is the Fireball Technique!’

He had figured out a new synthesis formula: Fire + Wood + Fire = Fireball Technique.

’I’ll feed it to the Jade Pendant as material.’

Su Chen didn’t hesitate. He decided that as soon as his family’s Jade Pendant finished converting the Plant Energy, this new Fire Element Rune would be the next material it absorbed.

The main reason was that the Fireball Technique was completely useless to him.

Its range was certainly greater than he could achieve by throwing something himself.

Unfortunately, the Fireball Technique wasn’t a targeted Skill that would automatically hit a locked-on target. To put it plainly, it was entirely dependent on his own aim and ability to predict movement.

Throwing an object with Attached Damage, on the other hand, bypassed the need to retrain his aim.

Besides, Flame Burst’s power could be used for melee strikes like a flaming fist and could also add Attached Damage to melee weapons. Since it was completely outclassed, Su Chen had no reason to keep the Fireball Technique. Keeping it would only consume his Fire Element essence.

Having made his decision, he decided to test the power of a Lv. 4 Flame Burst.

The power of Flame Burst surged like a torrent. When he channeled it into a golf ball in his hand, the outer shell cracked and shattered in less than a second. The filling inside was instantly vaporized by the intense heat.

’Just as I expected.’

Su Chen’s expression remained unchanged; he had already anticipated this.

Due to the materials used, the golf ball’s structural integrity clearly couldn’t withstand the more savage power of Flame Burst.

He could still make it work, barely.

He tried again. As long as he controlled the total output and infused it with less of the searing energy, he could still use them, albeit with a sacrifice in destructive power.

No need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. It was more than enough for killing weaker monsters.

’I’ll just switch to Flying Knives for stronger enemies.’

Survival knives, in particular, were typically forged from a single piece of tempered steel, and their durability was far superior to that of a golf ball.

The only problem was that they were hard to find.

He had two on him now, plus two small personal knives in the RV.

Considering they were all single-use items, Su Chen had to restock. Outdoor camping stores and general stores might still have them in bulk, but it would be extremely difficult to get his hands on any at this point.

The camping supply store on the commercial street had been open earlier. It wasn’t serving customers—it was being used as a guard post—but he could try talking to them on his way back.

Failing that, he could always just throw bricks.

The warehouse on the other side of the river still had plenty of solid red bricks. They could probably work in a pinch.

Without giving it much more thought, Su Chen put away the club and called Xiaoye over to a gray SUV.

The vehicle had been driven by one of the people who had blocked the bridge earlier. The key was still in the ignition. He moved the still-warm corpse from the driver’s seat onto the ground, then drove off with Xiaoye toward the other bridge.

With the giant bear’s corpse lying at the North Bridge, it was unlikely any monsters would dare to approach for a while.

At the very least, creatures lower on the food chain would need some time to repeatedly assess whether the massive predator had truly lost its Life Force.

The road to the South Bridge, however, was clear. No one would pay any mind to the corpses of one or two low-level Demon Dogs.

Besides, the Fireball he’d launched earlier had illuminated a large water snake in the middle of the river, which had naturally piqued Su Chen’s interest.

About a minute later, he parallel parked the car.

The moment the car door opened, Xiaoye shot out. Without needing any command, it completely understood its master’s intentions and immediately bolted along the embankment toward the river.

This was a downstream section of the river, and the drop in the water level was quite noticeable. The starlight shimmered on the water’s surface, where a water snake over four meters long was floating conspicuously.

When Su Chen arrived, he couldn’t tell if it was more like an anaconda or a python. In any case, it definitely wasn’t a native species from the campground.

The water snake noticed the figure on the bank. It immediately opened its mouth wide, and with a flick of its tongue, a jet of water shot out, heading straight for its enemy’s face.

The projectile wasn’t fast.

At least, with Su Chen’s Dynamic Vision, he could easily handle the attack.

He calmly raised his hand. A Water Mirror Screen materialized before his palm, perfectly deflecting the jet of water. It shot back and struck the scales on the giant snake’s neck. The impact tore through its flesh, and blood flowed out, quickly staining the river’s surface.

The water snake thrashed in pain, its body slapping against the surface of the water.

Before long, it stopped struggling and went limp, drifting with the current.

Xiaoye waded into the river and paddled furiously, grabbing the snake’s body in its mouth before immediately turning back.

"Good dog."

Su Chen praised it sincerely. Its proactive nature was certainly a welcome trait.

The water snake also dropped two coveted Water Element essences, which he immediately fed to his Water Mirror Rune to absorb.

Promotion Requirement: Water (1/1) + Light (0/1) + Water (1/1)

The very first Rune he’d obtained was finally making progress.

’Light Element essence will be hard to find, though. There’s not much chance of it dropping in a nighttime environment.’

Su Chen turned on his flashlight and scanned the river, but he couldn’t find a second snake.

With this small gain secured, he drove toward the South Bridge.

He stopped the car and fell into the usual routine. Xiaoye stood guard outside, ready to signal its master the moment it caught the scent of an approaching life form.

Su Chen didn’t have to run around either. He just sat in the driver’s seat with the AC on and continued listening to the radio.

It was worth noting that when his Flame Burst Rune leveled up to Lv. 4, his nearly half-depleted Energy Bar had been completely refilled. The Rune was once again brimming with a lustrous light.

’This seems to be a hidden mechanic. It’ll be worth exploiting in the future.’

The broadcast, now back on, mentioned something important: the authorities were collecting fertilizer on a massive scale, offering supplies to donors in exchange.

This was not a matter to be taken lightly. Agriculture and military applications often went hand-in-hand; many fertilizers, being part of the nitrate family, could be used to make explosives.

The main culprit behind the massive explosion in Beirut Port years ago was a stockpile of fertilizer.

Even if it wasn’t ammonium nitrate, for long-term survival, regular fertilizer was still a vital component for maintaining food production. Not to mention, the "farming gene" was practically embedded in the collective psyche.

It seemed that while the Security Committee was deploying large construction crews to build outer fortifications, they were also scrambling to secure methods for striking back.

Dongfu City’s main disadvantage was that its industrial district wasn’t located here.

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