Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 368: Chapter 176: Encounter with Red Dart Again

Under the illumination of the vast starry sky, an armored vehicle drove lonelily into the wilderness. The glaring headlights swept through the darkness, echoing the brilliant stars above.

Li Yelai silently gazed out at the night scene through the window.

This was his first time leaving Giant City, and although he had heard many Scavengers boasting in the antique shop, it was his first time witnessing the wilderness with his own eyes.

Leaving Giant City was to leave behind human civilization.

There was a desolation and ruin that met his eyes. The once prosperous cities had now turned into ruins of broken buildings. The roads and overpasses that once ran like arteries had long since collapsed and shattered.

In his field of view, the lights of Giant City gradually disappeared in the distance, replaced by the flickering starlight in the wilderness.

The night sky here was clearer and more magnificent than anything he had seen within Giant City, as if countless eyes were watching him.

The wilderness under the night sky was quiet and mysterious, but it also held dangers unknown to man.

After leaving Giant City for a while, the road conditions worsened.

The main road was made of hard sand and broken stones, a stark contrast to the smooth roads inside Giant City. These were merely occasional repairs by Giant City; venturing further from the city, one might not even find a road.

No wonder Scavengers and Processors preferred off-road vehicles. If one had a car with a low chassis or a sports car, wouldn’t it be destroyed in the wilderness?

But there was no other choice, as human living areas were confined within Giant City.

It was simply impossible to establish long and effective roads outside Giant City.

Even if one was built, it would eventually be destroyed.

”Before the Calamity, this land had a plethora of roads and houses. Over 1.4 billion people lived and hustled here. Every village and town had roads, accumulating more than five million kilometers in total,” Little Mad King spoke while pressing the gas pedal.

1.4 billion people, over five million kilometers of roads.

Li Yelai felt somewhat emotional.

It was hard for people of this era to imagine how prosperous and rich it was before the Calamity.

In this era, population was extremely important.

Giant City needed enough population to develop.

And No.3 Border City was arguably one of the Giant Cities with the most population.

Tens of millions of people lived there, and even after the attack of Disaster Fog No.71, with many migrating to other Giant Cities, the population was still more than seven million, surpassing most other Giant Cities.

But even with all these Giant Cities combined—three Border Cities, Lava Mine City, Yaoqing, Kunlun, Shu Chuan, Ba Shu...etc.—they probably didn’t have a population of three hundred million.

And as for roads, in today’s era, transportation within the Giant City was still convenient.

But in the wilderness, even a mud road was considered good.

Processors wanting to enter Forbidden Zones had to traverse mountains and rivers, so much so that half of their mission time was spent traveling.

”That’s why, whenever I see the desolate scenery in the wilderness, I really understand the old man’s resolve to reclaim 12.6 million square kilometers of national territory,” Little Mad King said. The ’old man’ she referred to was naturally the Old Mad King who had taken her in and trained her.

”I can understand too,” Li Yelai nodded in agreement.

As someone who had seen the prosperous scenery before the Calamity, the Old Mad King naturally wanted the world to return to its rightful state.

He wanted his people to no longer suffer from the dangers of Calamities and Forbidden Zones, to take back humanity’s living space from the control of the Forbidden Zones and Disaster Fog!

”Unfortunately, he might not get to see it with his own eyes...” Little Mad King said softly.

The conversation then took a somber tone, as the Old Mad King’s condition was deteriorating.

Not to mention reclaiming territories, now he had to pay the ultimate price for a hearty battle.

His curse was too fearsome, and the fierce battles of his early years had drained his life force.

The Mad King who once arrogantly thought of defeating two Forbidden Zone Kings, had now become a frail old man.

His ambitions still not achieved, but his strength drained...

If Border City were to lose the Old Mad King, how would humanity face the Forbidden Zone... It was a heavy burden on those in the know.

”That’s why, we must hasten our growth; the old man won’t be able to shelter us for much longer,” Little Mad King said seriously.

Li Yelai nodded solemnly.

Even the most gifted, if not grown, are ultimately illusions.

Seeing Li Yelai nod, Little Mad King seemed quite satisfied: ”Good, after this mission, I will arrange special training for you. I will strive to get you to Fifth Sense... After reaching Fifth Sense, even if you leave Giant City, you’ll be able to move freely.”

Little Mad King was not fully satisfied with the pace of Li Yelai’s advancement; after all, her own progress had been rapid.

She used continuous battles and dangers to train herself, successively opening the Soul Well, stepping onto the ladder of Fifth Sense, and advancing onto the path of Sixth Sense.

And Li Yelai, having the ’You Must Meet Strong Enemies’ condition, was very suitable for this method.

Strong enemies continuously coming forth would allow Li Yelai to strengthen himself at the fastest pace!

Li Yelai expressed some worries upon hearing this: ”You’re not planning to throw me into the Forbidden Zone and then vigorously have me use ’You Must Meet Strong Enemies,’ are you?”

”Don’t worry, I have it measured,” Little Mad King responded.

Soon, the vehicle continued to move forward.

Traveling bumpily along an abandoned road. The roads from before Calamity had long cracked due to neglect and were difficult to traverse.

They could only move forward along the paths frequented by caravans.

Their destination was Heavenly Kingdom, and the straight-line distance from No.3 Border City was about eight hundred kilometers.

But due to the traffic and the activity range of Black Origin City, they had to take a detour, which would take a few days.

Being late at night, Li Yelai saw few other Scavenger teams, but from afar, he spotted a gathering place.