He searched for Zhou You amidst the dust. Only when it settled did he see the young man sitting on the barren ground, staring blankly into the distance.

Unsure if Zhou You would spare him, he mustered the courage to approach.

"Mr. Zhou... Are you okay?"

Zhou You tilted his head, eyes landing on Sun Lu, "Oh, I've seen you before."

"Yes, Mr. Zhou... You saved me from the livestock farm. I... I never had the chance to thank you." Sun Lu hesitated, realizing they were on opposing sides.

During his brief unconsciousness, Zhou You had single-handedly slain everyone present. It was horrifying.

"No need for thanks. Just ensure your conscience is clear." Zhou You grabbed Sun Lu, pulling him closer, "Tell me what you know. Given our past encounter, I might spare you."

Sun Lu divulged all he knew. He had ventured there after leaving the base, following a trade convoy. Rumors suggested that the place could empower individuals.

Upon arrival, he entered a laboratory. After the experiments concluded and a period of recovery, he followed Dr. Jiang back.

“Experiments, always experiments.” Zhou You grasped his wrist, feeling his distinctively cool pulse, which was different from normal humans.

He scoffed, "You're no longer human."

“No, I am!” Sun Lu retorted passionately, “I am human! The perfect one! I'm not like those half-finished products!”

“Really?” Zhou You released him, gesturing him closer, “Come, let’s see the strength of this perfect creation.”

(Note: The conclusion will be available next month.)

Chapter 225: Hitching a Ride

"No, I won’t fight." Sun Lu didn’t have the courage to face Zhou You, especially seeing the corpses littering the ground, even if Zhou appeared to be extremely weak.

But Zhou You was itching for a fight. Despite his depleted energy, he lunged at Sun Lu, landing a punch on his face. They scuffled until Sun Lu couldn’t help but start transforming.

At that moment, the murderous look in Zhou You's eyes was terrifying. He grabbed the head of the transformed white python, causing Sun Lu to instinctively revert to human form.

He knew if he faced Zhou You as a snake, he’d likely be torn apart.

Zhou You pushed him away, slicing open the ground, and pointed at Sun Lu, “Lead the way.”

Looking at the trench beside his feet, Sun Lu asked blankly, “Where to?”

“Where they came from,” Zhou You scanned the surroundings. All the cars were destroyed in this vast expanse.

"How far is it?" he inquired further.

"We drove for about five days, but we had a clear path. After crossing the border, there's a desert, followed by grasslands, and then a lake filled with dangerous creatures. We can't cross it alone."

"How did you all get across?"

"They built a station on the lake's edge. With ships and distractions for the creatures, one can cross safely."

"Are there other dangers aside from the lake?"

"Desert army ants, venomous scorpions, rattlesnakes are the desert's three main threats. In comparison, the grasslands’ wolves and tigers aren’t as intimidating."

"Were the mutant beasts attacking the life base driven from the grasslands?"

"Some were transported directly from their side. Their people worship beast gods, believing evolution is a divine gift. Hence, every household raises mutant beasts."

Zhou You snickered. Adapting to nature by co-existing with beasts was indeed an interesting strength strategy.

But restraining a beast's desire to kill isn't simple.

"So, they just sent this few? To conquer a powerful nation with these numbers and some unique weapons is overly ambitious."

Sun Lu wasn't entirely sure, but recalled, "It seemed like they were recruiting. Perhaps these are just the vanguard."

Zhou You pondered for a moment, changing his mind. This news had to be relayed back quickly. He alone couldn't bring down an entire nation.

The journey may sound smooth, but it's challenging without someone leading the way.

He sealed Sun Lu's meridians and tied his hands with a grass rope, leading him back the way they came.

While the journey there felt quick, the return took them a full five days.

Passing the scorched earth, Zhou You paused for a long time, immense grief emanating from him.

Sun Lu couldn’t tell what had happened there, but the devastation spoke of unspeakable horrors.

"Let's move on," Zhou You said, steadying his emotions and continuing forward.

Reaching the outskirts of the Life Base, Zhou You threw Sun Lu against the ruins of a wall, questioning him, "Doesn't your conscience ache seeing your nation like this?"

With his head bowed, Sun Lu sorrowfully admitted, "I just wanted to become stronger!"

Zhou You scoffed coldly, pulling him into the base to search for food. They hadn't eaten much over the last few days; Zhou You could handle it, but Sun Lu couldn’t.

As they were eating, fighter jets roared overhead. Looking up, Zhou You saw a massive transport plane and several fighters descending.

Zhou You yearned for updates but feared receiving bad news, torn within.