Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System

At the same time, Arjun Malhotra was already breathing heavily.

His face had turned pale.

It was obvious that his Mental Power had been almost completely exhausted after continuously using his Wind ability.

Unlike Divya, whose enormous Spirit allowed her to cast abilities almost without concern, Arjun’s Mental Power simply wasn’t enough to support such consumption.

However... The more exhausted he became, the greater the fear in his eyes grew as he looked at Divya.

His lips trembled slightly before he suddenly roared hysterically,

"How is this possible?!"

"How can Survivors from your backward place possess supernatural abilities too?!"

"No... that’s impossible!"

"Only by killing Legendary creatures can you obtain ability orbs! How could people from a place like this possibly achieve that?!"

One had to know that even in the Wasteland Central Area, where resources were abundant and countless powerful Survivors gathered, Legendary-grade special abilities were treasures that everyone dreamed of obtaining.

If Arjun Malhotra hadn’t been fortunate enough to catch the eye of a certain influential person, there was no way a Legendary-grade ability would ever have fallen into his hands.

This time, he had come to this remote region to search for Legendary-level resource points for his faction.

Since he happened to discover Vikram’s whereabouts along the way, he had also planned to settle an old grudge.

However, he never imagined that he would end up being completely suppressed. Worse still, it wasn’t even Vikram who had done it, it was one of the women standing beside him.

"How... how is this possible?"

Arjun Malhotra stared at Divya, disbelief filling his face. His gaze slowly shifted toward Vikram, and a trace of fear gradually appeared in his eyes.

"If even one of his companions possesses a Legendary-grade special ability... then doesn’t that mean Vikram also has one?"

Thinking of this possibility, Arjun Malhotra felt his scalp go numb. He had originally believed that he and Vikram were evenly matched, but now he no longer had that confidence.

Seeing the fear in his eyes, Vikram smiled faintly and said, "What do you mean, ’How is this possible?’ There are plenty of things in this world that you can’t imagine. Come back to my shelter with me, and I’ll slowly broaden your horizons."

As Vikram leisurely walked toward him, Arjun Malhotra’s expression changed drastically. He didn’t know whether Vikram possessed a supernatural ability or not, but he didn’t dare gamble on it. Right now, there was only one thought in his mind, to escape.

Suppressing the dizziness caused by overusing his Mental Power, Arjun Malhotra suddenly lunged forward and threw his strongest punch at Vikram.

"Crack!"

"Ahhh!"

A miserable scream instantly echoed throughout the factory.

Vikram casually reached out with one hand and caught Arjun Malhotra’s fist. Before Arjun could react, Vikram twisted his wrist, instantly bending the entire arm into a horrifying angle. The elbow shattered on the spot, and bone fragments pierced through the flesh, exposing themselves to the air. His entire arm had been forcibly broken by Vikram with a single hand.

Arjun Malhotra’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

"You... you weren’t even using your full strength before! You’ve been playing with me this whole time?!"

Vikram merely smiled. "What do you think?"

Without wasting another word, Vikram lifted one leg and casually kicked both of Arjun Malhotra’s knees.

Crack!

Both knees instantly shattered, causing his legs to bend backward at an impossible angle. Arjun Malhotra collapsed onto the snowy ground in a grotesque posture. The overwhelming pain blurred his vision, and before long, he completely lost consciousness.

After casually tying him up, Vikram walked over to Lucas and the other corpses, searching them one by one. Unfortunately, apart from a few ordinary supplies, there was nothing worth taking.

Clicking his tongue in disappointment, Vikram tossed the bodies aside before carrying the unconscious Arjun Malhotra into the off-road vehicle.

Soon afterward, the vehicle disappeared into the distance without looking back.

What Vikram didn’t know was that nearly half an hour after the vehicle had left, another survivor slowly walked out from the deepest part of the factory building.

And his gaze was gloomy, clearly indicating he knew Arjun Malhotra.

His aura was erratic, seemingly due to some hidden means, which allowed him to deceive Vikram’s perception.

"A top Survivor from the Wasteland Edge? Interesting."

"It seems I need to tell the boss about this soon, otherwise this person might cause some trouble."

The figure gave a deep look in Vikram’s direction, then quickly disappeared from sight...

---

Even though Vikram had easily subdued Arjun Malhotra, who had come looking for trouble, his mind was filled with questions.

The first was Arjun Malhotra’s attitude.

From the moment they met, the other party had spoken as though he looked down on Vikram’s region.

It was the same kind of arrogance a wealthy young master from a major city on Earth would show toward someone from a remote countryside.

"Everyone is surviving in the same Wasteland World. Is the difference in development between regions really that enormous?"

That was Vikram’s first thought.

As for the possibility that Arjun Malhotra had merely been trying to provoke him with empty words, Vikram quickly dismissed it.

After all, the other party’s physique spoke for itself.

So far, apart from Vikram himself, Arjun Malhotra possessed the highest physique he had encountered.

Moreover, he was the first Survivor Vikram had met who possessed a supernatural ability.

The entire journey back, Vikram remained deep in thought.

After returning to the Territory, he stepped out of the vehicle.

Without needing any instructions, Glacia, the Ice Mage, understood Vikram’s intentions.

She casually waved her slender hand.

The snow on the ground immediately condensed into an icy lump before slipping directly into Arjun Malhotra’s clothes.

The lingering power of the extreme cold instantly erupted.

The freezing snow, which had been lying under temperatures approaching minus twenty degrees, made intimate contact with his skin.

Even with Arjun Malhotra’s powerful physique, he couldn’t help shivering violently.

"Ugh!" He was instantly jolted awake.

His body trembled uncontrollably as he instinctively tried to stand up.

However, the moment he attempted to move, he realized that both his legs refused to obey him.

A trace of panic immediately appeared on his face.

"Awake?"

Hearing Vikram’s calm voice, Arjun Malhotra’s heart sank even further.

"You... who exactly are you?"

"Which one of the Four Great Shelters sent you? At least let me die knowing the truth."

His face was pale, and his lips had long since lost their color.

Internally, however, Vikram silently memorized another important piece of information.

The Four Great Shelters.

Pretending nothing had happened, he casually replied, "Which force? Didn’t you say it yourself? I’m just someone from a tiny little place."

"Impossible!"

Although the blood around his broken arm and shattered legs had already coagulated, turning dark purple under the freezing wind and snow, Arjun Malhotra still stared at Vikram with unwavering conviction.

No matter what anyone says...

He would never believe Vikram was merely a survivor from the Wasteland’s remote outskirts.

With the physique and combat strength Vikram had displayed, even in the Wasteland Central Area, he would be qualified to become one of the upper echelons of the Four Great Shelters.

Seeing that Vikram had no intention of explaining himself, Arjun Malhotra carefully observed both him and the Territory behind him.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke,

"Your equipment... your way of doing things... none of it resembles the Official Shelter."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then... are you from the Crimson Tiger Shelter?"

Vikram remained silent, but secretly memorized the name.

Seeing that Vikram didn’t deny it, Arjun Malhotra assumed he had guessed correctly and immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I knew it! How could a country bumpkin from the Wasteland Edge possibly possess such strength?"

"You people from the Crimson Tiger Shelter are really quick. You’ve already started setting your sights on the Survivors living at the Wasteland Edge."

"I was wondering why the people of the Crimson Tiger Shelter seemed completely unaffected after the recent mutation of the insect plague. So that’s how it is."

Listening to Arjun Malhotra’s taunts, Vikram’s expression gradually became serious.

"What do you mean by ’setting your sights on the Survivors of the Wasteland Edge’? And what exactly is this ’mutated insect plague’ you’re talking about?"

"What really exists in the Wasteland Central Area? Why are there so many things I’ve never even heard of?"

Looking at Arjun Malhotra, who continued speaking so confidently despite lying on the ground, Vikram couldn’t help feeling an extremely strange sensation.

Previously, whenever he heard people mention the Wasteland Central Area, he had simply assumed it was a place where more Survivors had gathered.

Nothing more. However, after hearing Arjun Malhotra’s words...

Vikram suddenly realized that the Wasteland Central Area and the peripheral regions seemed to be worlds apart.

Although everyone lived on the same planet, there appeared to be an invisible barrier separating them.

Otherwise... How could the difference in strength and knowledge between the two sides be so enormous?

More importantly... Judging from Arjun Malhotra’s words and behavior, he clearly didn’t seem to be the leader of a major force, nor did he appear to hold any particularly high position.

After all... Who would wander around the Wasteland alone without even bringing a few subordinates?

Unless... They simply didn’t care whether they lived or died.

The more Vikram thought about it, the more curious he became about the Wasteland Central Area.

He was just about to continue questioning Arjun Malhotra.

Suddenly... A faint, almost imperceptible whoosh echoed through the air.

Vikram’s expression changed.

By the time he reacted and turned his head...

Arjun Malhotra’s eyes had already become completely lifeless.

The guard standing nearby immediately stepped forward to check his condition.

After placing two fingers beneath Arjun Malhotra’s nose, he looked up and reported, "Boss, he’s not breathing."

"He’s already dead."

"Tsk."

Vikram clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Special abilities truly were troublesome.

Not only for himself... But for every Survivor who possessed one.

If someone was determined to commit suicide using their own ability, it was almost impossible to stop them.

For example... If Arjun Malhotra secretly condensed a tiny wind blade inside his own skull and pierced his brain from within, even someone standing right beside him would have no chance to react.

Thinking of that, Vikram felt a slight headache.

Fortunately, at least the corpse was still here.

Perhaps there would still be something useful left behind.

With that thought, he immediately called over several subordinates and ordered them to thoroughly search Arjun Malhotra’s body.

There were quite a few valuable items on his body, including a large pile of crystals that were rapidly becoming the hard currency of the Wasteland.

There were dozens of both ordinary crystals and mutated crystals.

This alone was wealth that surpassed what an average Shelter leader possessed.

Of course... The item that caught Vikram’s attention the most was a jewel lying quietly inside the backpack.

Vikram had originally assumed that the Lucky Jewel mentioned earlier was merely bait used by Arjun Malhotra to lure him here.

Unexpectedly... The other party had actually been carrying one. And not only Lucky Jewel but also an orb.

[Lucky Jewel: Purple-Gold. One-time consumable item. Consuming it temporarily increases the user’s luck. After one probabilistic event is triggered, the effect immediately disappears.]

[Note: The increase in probability fluctuates between 25% and 45%, depending on the rarity and difficulty of the probabilistic event.]

[Healing Orb: Gold, one-time use. The user’s four-dimensional physique each increases by 3 points, and mental power by 10 points. There is a 50% chance to obtain a special ability, Rapid Healing, from it.]

Looking at the description, Vikram nodded in satisfaction.

This trip hadn’t been a waste after all.

Just then, one of the nearby guards stepped forward and respectfully asked,

"Boss, what should we do with the corpse? Burn it directly?"

Hearing the question, Vikram pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. Smash the corpse apart first. See if there’s anything hidden inside."

To be honest, the moment Vikram discovered that Arjun Malhotra possessed a supernatural ability, he had already begun considering another possibility.

Legendary-grade resource points were extremely difficult to find.

If Survivors who had already awakened supernatural abilities could also leave behind an ability orb after death...

Then, from now on, hunting them would undoubtedly become another way of obtaining abilities.

As for dissecting a corpse... Vikram didn’t mind in the slightest.

After all... Could it possibly be more disgusting than searching through zombie corpses?

Upon receiving the order, several subordinates immediately got to work.

After a series of rather bloody operations... Arjun Malhotra’s body was reduced to a pile of minced flesh.

Unfortunately... After searching every part of the corpse, they still found nothing.

There wasn’t even the slightest trace of an ability orb.

Seeing this result, Vikram couldn’t help sighing.

"Just as I expected... Apart from the items stored inside the backpack, used items and awakened abilities won’t drop after a Survivor dies."

Although he felt somewhat regretful, the result was still within his expectations.

Waving his hand, he calmly ordered,

"Burn the corpse."

Only after watching the flames completely engulf Arjun Malhotra’s remains did Vikram turn around and slowly walk back toward the territory 1.

At the same time, Vikram made a call.

"Hello, Lilith, how have things been these past two days? Can you handle the insect plague? Do you need my help?"

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