C1 The Unbearable World

"Smack!"

The sound of a slap resonated through the empty hall.

"Yang Huang! I came all the way here today just to tell you that it's over between us! Completely over!" A girl with golden pupils and flowing hair stood haughtily, her eyes slightly narrowed, exuding an air of superiority with every word and gesture.

"What did I do wrong?" In front of the girl stood a tall man, his hand covering his swollen right cheek, his face etched with immeasurable desolation.

"Hmph, you did nothing wrong. It's simply that the world has changed." With those final words, the girl turned on her heel, leaving no opportunity for a response.

Indeed, the world had changed.

Yang Huang let out a sigh.

A month ago, the world had experienced a cataclysmic transformation. Firstly, the Earth itself had changed, expanding its surface area overnight by a factor of 1,200, according to experts.

Secondly, humanity had changed. Data showed that on the day of the Earth's transformation, 10% of the global population mutated. These mutated humans began a frenzied search for a fruit known as the Ancient Fruit, a colorful, apple-like fruit. It was believed that consuming the Ancient Fruit would unlock a mysterious Evolution Path, granting them immense power.

Finally, the most alarming change was the emergence of a new species, which the authorities named the Remnant Devil. In just one month, the Remnant Devil proliferated wildly, spreading across the globe at an astonishing rate, nearly omnipresent.

The Remnant Devil had a taste for human flesh, which seemed to fuel its own evolution. With this new threat, Earth's population plummeted, with the majority of casualties being the non-mutated humans.

Yang Huang was among the unfortunate ones who did not become an Evolver.

The girl who had walked away was Yang Duoduo, his girlfriend from the time of peace. They had been together for three years, and their relationship had always been strong.

Yang Duoduo was one of the lucky ones, part of the 10% who had mutated.

Today's outcome, it seemed, was something that had been expected all along.

However, Yang Huang couldn't possibly let her just walk away.

"Duo Duo, wait a moment," Yang Huang called out. Standing at an impressive 1.87 meters with a handsome face and a determined look, he would have been considered quite attractive even in times of peace. He watched Yang Duoduo as she neared the door and suddenly spoke up.

Yang Duoduo hesitated, but ultimately she stopped in her tracks. Having decided on a breakup, she figured a few more minutes wouldn't hurt. She was curious to hear what her once intimate partner had to say.

"I know that on the day of the Earth's mutation, you also changed, becoming part of that ten percent. What you need most now is something called the Ancient Fruit. If I'm not mistaken, you haven't consumed the Ancient Fruit yet, meaning you haven't completed the final step on the Evolution Path." Yang Huang, dressed in a fitted light blue shirt and black pants that accentuated his long legs, furrowed his brow and spoke with gravity.

Yang Duoduo turned to face him without a word. She was well aware of Yang Huang's family background, so his knowledge of these matters didn't surprise her.

"Despite the vast number of mutated humans worldwide, Ancient Fruits are exceedingly rare. Many have fought tooth and nail over a single Ancient Fruit, all for a better chance at surviving in this new world," Yang Huang went on.

"What are you trying to say?" Yang Duoduo didn't want to linger unnecessarily. She grew impatient as Yang Huang seemed to dance around the main point.

"I have an Ancient Fruit," Yang Huang said, lowering his head, his voice carrying only those four words.

"What did you say?!" Yang Duoduo's shock was palpable, her astonishment clear on her face.

"In truth, three years ago, my grandfather predicted the great changes that would befall Earth. He went to great lengths to identify sixty-eight locations around the world where the Ancient Fruit would appear. After the Earth's transformation, my father secured these Ancient Fruits before anyone else." Yang Huang paused, knowing it was time for Yang Duoduo to make her decision.

Indeed, Yang Duoduo bowed her head, lost in thought.

"Yang Huang, I believe you're telling the truth. But I also know that nothing in this world comes without a price. You wouldn't just give me the Ancient Fruit without expecting something in return, and I no longer want any ties with you, not even the slightest," Yang Duoduo declared with resolve. After speaking her piece, she turned and left, closing the door on any opportunity for Yang Huang to respond.

I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore.

These words were deeply etched in Yang Huang's mind.

After Yang Duoduo left, Yang Huang sighed once again.

"Unfortunately, the bait didn't take the hook. The trap I meticulously set up all night fell apart just like that. I got nothing out of it." Yang Huang seemed regretful. If Yang Duoduo were here now, she would realize that Yang Huang's regret wasn't due to her cold departure.

"Since I can't start with her, I'll have to turn to my sister who has never given me a second glance." A hint of worry crossed Yang Huang's face.

He seemed to have a new plan in mind and was determined to try it.

An hour later, Yang Huang found himself in a desolate wasteland.

"If I'm lucky enough, I should be able to survive these ten minutes," Yang Huang assessed, surveying the environment before him. The blood-red earth was littered with debris, and a faint scent of blood hung in the air—a place no ordinary person would choose to visit.

"Well, then I entrust my fate to you," he murmured to himself. He pulled out a syringe and a vial of sealed liquid from his pocket. After swiftly injecting the substance into his body, he collapsed in the wilderness.

Ten minutes later, a group indeed arrived and found Yang Huang lying unconscious.

...

Boom!

Two ten-meter-tall Mechas collided in the sky, their clash sending shockwaves that twisted the air into whirlpools.

The Mechas—one red, the other black—battled above.

"Little Yan! Are you still determined to carry this dead weight? He'll only slow us down!" The hard exterior of the red Mecha, material unknown, reverberated with a female voice exceeding 300 decibels, filling the space around them.

"What are you talking about? No matter how useless he is, he's still my brother. I don't know how he ended up here, but I'm definitely going to get him to safety!" On the ground, a teenage girl with shiny black hair darted across the rugged terrain in her light green dress, her small frame shouldering a tall young man.

"Dead weight is such a hassle!"

A white-haired youth stood less than five meters from the girl, grumbling discontentedly. With a flick of his wrist, a gust of air shot forth, and the sound of flesh being sliced echoed as a three-meter-tall, pink creature was beheaded.

Behind the white-haired youth stood a towering bald man, his muscles tensed and veins protruding as he hoisted a slab of metal, several times his own size, into the air with apparent ease. His effortless toss sent the massive object soaring dozens of meters, striking a black Mecha mid-flight. The metal traced an arc across the sky before crashing to the ground with a thunderous boom, kicking up clouds of dust.

The metal slab only momentarily slowed the Mecha's movements, but even a brief delay could prove fatal in combat. Seizing the chance, the red Mecha conjured a five-meter-long sword, as if by magic. The blade sliced through the air, its passage marked by a cacophony of sonic fractures, severing an arm from the black Mecha in one swift strike.

"Ever since Earth underwent its mutation, these monsters have been emerging non-stop. It's relentless!" complained the girl, who shouldered the burden of a man with evident discontent.

"Yet, during this time, their attacks have been limited to those ordinary people who haven't embarked on the Evolution Path. Put simply, they're nothing but filthy, dim-witted creatures that have emerged on Earth," the white-haired youth declared with scorn. As he spoke, his feet seemed to catch the wind, propelling him forward with a sudden burst of speed that carried him over ten meters in the blink of an eye.

The girl refused to be outdone. Enshrouded in a layer of white mist, despite the weight of the man on her shoulders, she left only a trail of afterimages in her wake.

Half an hour later, the girl, the white-haired youth, and the excessively large man reached the summit of a hill. Before them lay a cityscape of towering structures and indestructible black walls, constructed from some unknown material. They sensed the relative safety of their surroundings.

"Should we head into the city now or wait for Lin Fang to return?" the white-haired youth inquired, turning to the girl who was clearly the linchpin of their group.

"There's no need to wait for her. She's piloting something that big; she'll be fine. Let's head back," the girl replied with serene confidence, her gaze fixed on the city before her, a deep sense of assurance welling within her.

However, just as her words fell, an unexpected change occurred. A swath of light purple gas rapidly spread from the summit of the hill they were on, quickly enveloping the entire area. The grass and trees, once shrouded in the purple haze, began to wither at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Be careful!"

The girl was the first to sense the danger. Without a second thought, she set down the man she had been carrying on her shoulder. Suddenly, a copious amount of white mist erupted from every pore on her body, wrapping around her in layers, both inside and out, creating a protective cocoon.

Regrettably, despite her quick reaction, she was unable to halt the advance of the purple gas. In an instant, both the white-haired boy and the bald man were engulfed in the ominous mist.

To her growing horror, she discovered that her white mist was powerless to stop the invasion of the purple gas!

"Who's there? Show yourself!" The girl's heart chilled as she raised her voice, calling out to the unknown assailant, but her cries were met with silence.

After her shout, she felt her limbs go limp, as if uttering those words had drained her of all her strength. Moments later, her consciousness began to fade until she collapsed to the ground with a thud, completely unconscious.

The white-haired youth and the bald man had been overtaken by the purple gas even earlier, succumbing to unconsciousness before the girl.