Evolution Begins with Elemental Domination

”The rotating front-line corps will remain on high alert and maintain a defensive posture. Please get a good night’s rest before returning to the battlefield tomorrow. Additionally, the seventh batch of Rune Formulas will be officially announced via radio in half an hour. We ask that everyone listen patiently from home.”

This announcement undoubtedly sent the large crowds of lingering people back to their homes.

The sea of people placed a considerable burden on the entire Rune Core hub. To prevent potential assassins from infiltrating, they had to constantly use anti-stealth detection, and security personnel had to scrutinize every face to check for disguises.

The announcement of a seventh batch of Rune Formulas was also thrilling. It was a chance for everyone to gain more knowledge and to see the Lv7 effects of various Runes.

”Let’s go.”

Seeing this, Su Chen and Ruoruo headed straight for home.

...

At 10:21 PM, they instantly returned to the base camp.

Compared to last night, the lights were dimmer and the life signatures sparser. It seemed most of those who had gone out killing hadn’t returned yet.

Back at the new camp, Pang Peng, Yan Ziqian, and the others hadn’t returned either. Only Ms. Cheng and Gong Jun were present.

”Don’t worry,” Su Chen said, putting Ms. Cheng’s mind at ease. ”Liao Dahai and the others are definitely fine. They didn’t split up. They’re probably just waiting in line to trade Runes somewhere.”

She had cooked a huge spread, all of which was being kept in a warming cabinet.

Against the wall stood a high-powered convection steam oven, and two massage chairs were placed side-by-side in the first-floor hall. They had really figured out how to live in comfort and style during the apocalypse.

With ample electricity, you could do whatever you wanted.

He considered that the many RV batteries they’d collected weren’t being fully utilized, and that the large, empty rooftop was perfect for solar panels.

This gave Su Chen an idea. He remembered people selling solar panels at the first Qixia Night Market, though they were sold in expensive bundles.

In the days that followed, however, there was high demand for the industrial product but no supply. It was as if solar panels had vanished from the market, with basically no one selling them anymore.

This was understandable.

”Your ammo is all ready. I’ve loaded all of it into the magazines.”

Gong Jun handed him the five magazines from the table, along with six Single-Headed Bullets.

Su Chen had completely exhausted his ammunition that day, so he accepted them without hesitation.

He, in turn, pulled a bag of firearms and ammunition from his hiking backpack.

”A revolver, two sniper rifles, and some scopes,” Su Chen said. He had seized a large cache of firearms and ammunition from the Oran City army.

He had been selective, however. He knew that having too many different ammo types would complicate production, and his backpack was already completely full with no room to spare.

Everything else he’d left behind for the next lucky person to find.

”An M200 and a Barrett XM109... The king of light sniper rifles and a large-caliber anti-materiel rifle.” Gong Jun’s eyes lit up, and he caressed the weapons as if they were priceless treasures. The matching optical scopes were even still attached.

Su Chen lacked a method for extreme long-range kills, and the sniping abilities of marksmen on both sides of the conflict had left a deep impression on him.

The Acceleration Rune Array probably couldn’t completely negate a bullet’s trajectory. Compared to mid- and close-range shooting, long-range sniping would inevitably require practice.

But there was plenty of time for that.

There was no rush to master it overnight.

Su Chen’s ever-increasing physical attributes granted him incredible hand-eye coordination and eyesight. Once he started practicing, he was bound to master shooting faster than any prodigy from Earth’s past.

After all, the spears he had thrown that day had shown astonishing accuracy.

”Here, take these Gold Element Runes, and some Spiritual Materials too. Use them to get your Shaping Skill to Lv7 first,” Su Chen said, picking them out of his backpack.

”You don’t have to...”

Gong Jun didn’t want to be in his debt, especially since Spiritual Materials were so important and rare.

But the words had barely left his lips when his eyes went wide. The heavy hiking backpack was almost completely filled with a huge bag of Runes.

”This...”

’Holy shit, just how many people did he kill?’

He was dumbfounded.

’What terrifying spoils of war.’

’Pure, blood-soaked profit.’

”Looks like the top powerhouses are close to upgrading their entire Rune Maps to Lv7,” Gong Jun mused, realizing the gravity of the situation.

The brutal war was causing Rune Essence to become rapidly concentrated. This culling process was a resounding success, at least in terms of creating a number of powerful individuals.

They, as Rune Casters, didn’t need cultivation or enlightenment. Fortunately, their personal class Authority was irreplaceable and couldn’t be looted by others. Otherwise, everyone would be little more than Rune couriers, their strength built on a castle in the sky.

”You get some too.”

Su Chen had already sorted the loot in his bag. One cloth pouch was filled with over twenty different Wood Element Runes.

They were all Lv4. With his limited backpack capacity, he hadn’t even bothered to pick up the lower-level Wood Element Runes.

He gave Ms. Cheng a Lv6 Healing Skill Rune and a Treant Summoning Rune, as well as a Lv5 Great Tree Guard Rune and a Tree Wall Skill Rune.

This was only a small portion of his haul. He knew that after another day of fighting tomorrow, his personal accumulation of Runes—his personal wealth—would likely reach an absurd figure.

’The richest person in the city?’

’Hard to say.’

’Probably not.’

The owners of private trading organizations had also profited handsomely from the war. Even if they only took their usual cut at original prices, the massive surge in customers meant they were still making a fortune.

Of course, their profits were only in Rune Essence.

Those bosses could never hope to acquire a huge bag of valuable Spiritual Materials like Su Chen had.

After all, Spiritual Materials were the ultimate hard currency. They were already difficult to trade, but now that everyone needed them for upgrades, the frenzied demand in the market was driving prices through the roof.

Su Chen didn’t neglect himself, either. He had already slotted his ’Control Gauntlet’ with new Runes: a Lv7 Radiant Chain, a Lv7 Fireball Technique, a Lv7 Water Arrow Skill, and a Dark Gravity.

’That’s right...’

’A whole set of Lv7 Runes on my external equipment.’

Even his Binder’s Belt had gained a Lv7 Lightning Shield Rune, and he might even be able to fill its other two slots tomorrow.

His Silver Summoning Book had also absorbed a Lv7 Summon Thunder Spirit Rune.

’Insane!’

If he hadn’t been running low on Telekinesis Energy, he would have been able to search everyone he hunted down more thoroughly. As it was, he’d missed three powerful individuals who had death-substitute dolls, meaning he could have plundered even more Lv7 Runes.

Furthermore, once he ran out of Aurora Flash’s Rune Energy, his ability to pursue targets was hampered, though he could usually have Xiaolin and Xiaoye handle it for him.

That’s why Su Chen wasn’t too concerned about other top powerhouses rapidly acquiring and upgrading to Lv7 Runes. He, at least, was having the time of his life.

’Tomorrow’s competition will likely be even more intense. If I can kill someone in the top thirty, or even the top ten, of the Contribution Rankings... now *that* would be getting rich overnight.’

「Not long after.」

While Yan Ruoruo was showering in the RV, the official broadcast began, announcing the seventh batch of Rune Formulas.

The announcement was no longer categorized by Attack, Defense, Support, and Summoning types.

Since the vast majority of people focused on Single Element or Dual Element builds, the authorities had heeded public feedback and were now organizing the list by Element for convenience.

First up was the Gold Element.

The first one introduced was...

Gold + Dark + Gold = Imprisoning Golden Ring;

Hearing about this powerful crowd-control chain skill, Su Chen grew thoughtful. Based on its imprisonment effect and magic-suppressing properties, it sounded like a Gold Element version of his Radiant Chain.

Of course, a control skill like this first had to break through the target’s elemental shield to restrain them; otherwise, it would never be so easy to capture someone.

Among the Fire Element formulas announced later, there was one called Flame Shackles.

This Technique was even more vicious. While it had less of an effect on suppressing Rune Magic Power, its extreme heat could rapidly melt an enemy’s metal equipment. In addition to the constant burning, the shackles would gradually tighten until they melted right through the target’s flesh.

”The Thunder Element has one too,” Su Chen sighed.

After hearing several more attack Techniques, a Thunder Element formula suddenly came up: Electrostatic Magnetic Binding. It formed a restraining net of high-frequency electrical arcs that forcibly interfered with the target’s nervous system, causing continuous paralysis.

’Tonight is full of pleasant surprises.’

’It seems I’ll really have to absorb the Lv7 Radiant Chain I have on hand.’