Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

After her unexpected thanks, the cold beauty said just as unexpectedly, ”I’m sorry.”

She didn’t leave him in suspense.

She quickly added, ”If it weren’t for you, I would have killed the general store owner myself.”

At that, Su Chen turned to the side, looking at the elegant figure who had stopped walking.

”The reason I told you about the locked-room murder that day, aside from warning you, was because I wanted your help to take action.” Yan Ruoruo’s eyes were fixed on the man before her.

The night wind was cool, making the hair on her forehead sway gently, but it couldn’t hide the cold rationality in her eyes.

Absolute rationality told her it was better to strike first than to wait passively for the killer to come for her. With her emotional center damaged, she felt she wouldn’t have much guilt about punishing the wicked and getting her hands dirty.

It was something she had to do alone. Her own brother, not to mention her other companions, would never support such a crazy idea.

But was there another solution?

There was... the man right in front of her. He had been at the general store by the bonfire that day, too.

How could a lone wolf who had collected so many powerful Runes not attract the killer’s attention?

And in the end, Su Chen, the man before her, had indeed been the one to sever all ties to that evil. The process had gone completely off-script and was even a bit of a cruel joke, but he had been the trigger. By a strange twist of fate, he had ended up causing the deaths of that group from the Mutual Aid Association.

”That’s it?”

After hearing her out, Su Chen raised an eyebrow. A hint of playful curiosity entered his tone. ”That little scheme? If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have never known. Why bring it up now?”

Yan Ruoruo replied seriously, ”If I didn’t tell you, it would always bother me when I’m around you.”

At that moment, the night wind suddenly picked up, lifting strands of hair from her temples and brushing them across the corner of her lips, adding a touch of messy, tragic beauty to her cool features.

A sudden silence fell between them.

Su Chen stared at her for a few seconds before saying jokingly, ”You know, an apology is more sincere if you show your chest.”

Hearing this, Yan Ruoruo hesitated for a moment before her hands grabbed the hem of her shirt. With a swift motion, she began to lift it. Just as a sliver of fair skin and her navel came into view, a gentle, invisible force stopped her from going any further.

”Let’s go.”

Su Chen turned and walked on, as if he had never made that jest.

”So, you accept my apology?” Yan Ruoruo revealed an obsessive side, determined to hear a clear confirmation.

”Yes.”

Su Chen chuckled and nodded.

For some reason, her steps became much lighter, and a fleeting hint of joy seemed to flicker across her exquisite, flawless face.

After that little interlude, the two of them returned to the new campsite.

Liao Dahai’s expression relaxed considerably the moment he saw his anchor return; the tension that had kept him wound tight finally dissipated.

”You’ve worked hard. Go get some rest. Nothing will happen tonight.” Su Chen patted the man’s shoulder reassuringly.

”That’s good to hear.”

Liao Dahai had long noticed how unnervingly quiet the surroundings were. He didn’t know why, but after spending so much time together, he had come to trust the young man before him. He suspected Su Chen had something to do with it.

He didn’t feel it was his place to pry into the details. After a brief farewell, he returned to his own RV.

”May I use the shower in your RV?” Yan Ruoruo, who was standing nearby, asked.

Under the harsh and limited conditions of the past, she had no way to bathe properly. At most, she could wipe herself down with a clean towel and use abilities like the Purification Skill to remove filth from her body.

As for the towel she had given Su Chen to wipe the blood from his face, it had been washed clean and was now hanging on the heated towel rack.

”Of course.”

Su Chen didn’t mind. With his high-level Water Creation Skill, he had a limitless supply of clean water. After setting the temperature for her, he headed out to the new campsite to set up security measures for the night.

’Alright, let’s see what this can do.’

Su Chen slipped on the cool, black Rune Gloves. He channeled the Shadow Veil Rune into the back of the hand, and strange, intricate lines immediately appeared on its surface.

After a brief pause, he activated it with a thought, silently casting the Technique outside the first floor’s roll-up door.

In the next instant, the air distorted like ripples in water. A dark barrier five meters high and six meters wide materialized from thin air, resembling a descending curtain of night. Its edges roiled with a fine black mist.

Once it stabilized, it gradually faded into the surrounding darkness, leaving only a faint, shimmering outline.

It wasn’t a physical wall, but it could divide space itself.

It was effective against incorporeal beings like Spirit Bodies and phantoms, yet it could also withstand powerful external attacks.

And anyone who tried to pass through it would feel a sharp Spiritual Whip the moment they made contact.

’It can also expand its area of effect.’

Su Chen was gradually getting the hang of it. If he wanted, he could expand it from a single plane into a sphere, forming a small, absolute defense Barrier.

’According to the information I’ve seen, the Shadow Veil’s duration is extended when used at night. Its duration will rapidly decrease once it’s bathed in sunlight.’

He considered this. Although the Technique couldn’t permanently shape the environment, at Lv5 intensity, it should have no problem lasting until past nine in the morning.

Su Chen summoned Xiaoye to check the surroundings for any suspicious monsters, then began sealing all the doors and windows of the three-story building with the veil.

Once he was finished, he casually set up a dog bed by the main entrance. After giving Xiaoye’s head a good ruffle, he instructed his companion to help stand guard for the night.

With all the layers of security in place, Su Chen finally returned to his RV.

The moment he pushed the door open, he froze.

Yan Ruoruo had already finished her shower and was wrapped in nothing but a bath towel. She was already an icy, stunning beauty, but now, with wet hair clinging to her cheeks and her skin glowing with a warm, moist sheen, she was as pure and captivating as a lotus flower rising from the water.

The towel barely covered the essentials, leaving her long legs completely exposed. Her ankles were slender, the lines of her calves taut and smooth, glowing softly in the light of the RV.

At that moment, how could Su Chen not understand what she was thinking?

Her sudden words on the lawn had already revealed much of what was on her mind.

He knew all too well how forward a girl could be when she liked someone.

Su Chen had had four girlfriends, and even they had been the result of his own strict screening process. It was almost always the girl who approached him to confess. Even the prim and proper ”good girls” on campus were often drawn to his cold, distant, dangerous aura, hoping he would open the door to a new world for them.

They didn’t necessarily like *him*. They were just looking for a thrill after being let loose by the freedom of university life.

After he rejected their advances, about half of them couldn’t even remain friends.

”Tell me what you’re thinking,” Su Chen said, leaning against the doorframe and watching her quietly.

Yan Ruoruo was drying her hair with a towel. She looked over, her gaze calm. Her cool face showed no trace of shyness; the faint blush around her eyes seemed to be just from the hot shower.

She said faintly, ”My instincts tell me that staying by your side is the best way to survive the apocalypse. Giving you this untouched body in exchange for safety and security is the most logical choice. Besides, with my abilities, I can be your right-hand woman.”

Hearing this flat, straightforward speech, delivered with no emotional inflection whatsoever, Su Chen couldn’t help but chuckle. ”Frankly, that was a terrible pitch. Anything else?”

Yan Ruoruo pondered for a moment before continuing. ”From an emotional standpoint, I can’t deny that you are a very charming man. Your body is perfect. If we were back in normal life...”

As she spoke, a faint blush rose on her cheeks. Her pupils contracted sharply, and she unconsciously clenched and unclenched her right fist, as if the current situation was causing her extreme discomfort.

”That’s enough.”

Clearly sensing her emotional turmoil, Su Chen didn’t let her continue.

’At least she still has some residual emotions.’

’Perhaps, after her emotional Recovery, she’ll regret this absurd impulse.’

”I’m going to take a shower. I’ll give you more time to think.” Su Chen stepped into the shower, leaving the woman behind, feeling as if her heart was in a vice, utterly at a loss.