Chapter 3 Arrival

Mount Rosworth had been hollowed out, creating a massive internal space filled with modern facilities that amazed the hundreds of Evolvers.
Squads of Evolver soldiers walked by, carrying standardized steel blades. It was as if modern and ancient times had fused, creating a surreal atmosphere.
As the Evolvers grew stronger, ordinary firearms became less effective than cold weapons. Moreover, with many armories destroyed, being equipped with standardized steel blades was a testament to the prowess of the Cook Legion.
Ethan Lowe and the others were led to a vast plaza surrounded by a circle of Evolver soldiers. Several female soldiers stood solemnly, watching them.
Above the plaza, more than ten meters high, was a layer of transparent glass, enclosing another enormous space.
At this moment, near the glass, a few men and women were laughing and looking down.
"I wonder if we can recruit some useful ones this time. Even if they don't reach human-level strength, they shouldn't be too weak," a middle-aged man said in a gruff voice.
"Don't get your hopes up. Reaching human-level isn't that easy. The few human-level captains in this team have already been assigned by Saint Arthur. You and I didn't get any," complained a charming woman beside him.
"It's not impossible. Protecting tens of thousands of survivors over such a long distance to Jawington wasn't easy. I value these people highly. Why don't you all leave them to me?" a young man on the other side joked.
"Keep dreaming. Let's see how Harvey arranges it. He's the instructor this time, and he'll definitely take the lion's share," the middle-aged man retorted.
These people were all commanders of ten thousand in the Cook Legion. The Legion had 80,000 registered Evolvers, and only those who reached Earth-level could become commanders of ten thousand. Achieving this rank made one an overlord in Jawington, second only to Saint Arthur—Arthur Cook.
To the millions of survivors in Jawington, Saint Arthur was rarely seen; the commanders were like gods.
"I heard that Snow Maiden under Saint Chione is coming to Jawington and will spar with us. Who's planning to step up?" the charming woman suddenly asked, smiling as she looked at the others.
They remained silent, not intending to respond.
The woman chuckled. "Rumor has it that Saint Chione declared Snow Maiden invincible at the Earth-level. You really don't want to see for yourselves?"
They still didn't speak.
She smiled subtly and said no more.
Saint Chione—Chione Brown—stood atop the snowy mountains and founded the Blue Legion. Although she was one of the Seven Saints alongside Saint Arthur—Arthur Cook—her status was even higher.
To outsiders, the Chicia Seven Saints seemed equal in rank, but only a few knew the truth. The Seven Saints were divided into the Upper Three Saints and the Lower Four Saints. Saint Chione—Chione Brown—was one of the Upper Three Saints, while Arthur Cook was among the Lower Four.
On the plaza, Evolvers underwent examinations, mainly because many viruses had mutated after the apocalypse, especially the zombie virus, which was difficult to treat. The Cook Legion had to ensure that all Evolvers were free from viral infections; otherwise, it would be dangerous.
Soon it was Ethan Lowe's turn.
Watching as his blood sample was placed aside, the nurse began filling out his personal information. Ethan's eyes flashed; he exerted force in his legs, and his figure suddenly blurred. In the next instant, he returned to normal. No one noticed anything except that the color of the blood in the sample bottle changed slightly, seemingly tinged with a hint of purple, but it quickly returned to normal.
"Are you Ethan Lowe? Please wait a moment; it won't take long," the young nurse said to him with a smile.
Ethan nodded. "Thank you." With that, he walked to the other side.
After some time, nearly five hundred Evolvers had completed their examinations without any issues.
Before long, a middle-aged man in a dark military uniform approached. As he neared, an overwhelming pressure emanated from him, causing all the Evolvers to look at him in surprise.
Crackle!
The ground cracked, and a burst of energy swept across, astonishing all the Evolvers.
"Earth-level, a Quaking Earth powerhouse!" someone exclaimed. All the Evolvers looked at the man with a mix of fear and envy.
The middle-aged man stopped about ten meters away from Ethan and the others and said loudly, "My name is Harvey , a commander of ten thousand in the Cook Legion. I will ask once if any of you do not wish to join the Cook Legion, you may leave now."
The hundreds of Evolvers looked at each other, and then some began to step forward.
Although the Cook Legion was powerful, it required discipline and obedience. Many had never been soldiers and were unwilling to join; Ethan was among them.
Nearly two hundred Evolvers, almost half, chose not to join the Cook Legion.
Harvey looked at those unwilling to join and said calmly, "By joining the Cook Legion, not only will your safety be guaranteed, but you can also bring your family to live around Mount Rosworth. Each month, you'll receive energy crystals for cultivation and even have the chance to learn combat techniques taught by Saint Arthur."
"What are combat techniques?" someone asked curiously.
Harvey replied coldly, "Techniques that allow you to exert two hundred percent of your power are called combat techniques. Saint Arthur's combat technique is the Storm Slash; few in the world can withstand a single strike. You should have seen it."
All the Evolvers' eyes lit up with excitement. Of course they had seen it—the strike that obliterated the mutated vine, cracked the earth, and changed the weather. Such immense power!
"Can we learn the Storm Slash?" someone asked eagerly.
Harvey said indifferently, "Anyone can learn it, as long as you earn Saint Arthur's approval."
At these words, those who had planned to leave hesitated and gradually returned to the original group. In the end, fewer than fifty genuinely intended to leave, Ethan among them.
Harvey waved his hand. "Escort them out."
Soon, nearly fifty Evolvers were led out of Mount Rosworth.
Ethan looked back. This place would not remain peaceful for long.
Outside Mount Rosworth, many survivors and even Evolvers had gathered. As Ethan and the others emerged, they all crowded around.
"Brother, looking to buy property? I can help you. Prices are absolutely fair."
"Brother, need a guide? Don't look at me like that. There are too many zombies and monsters outside Jawington. Without a guide, you could easily get surrounded."
"Brother, need weapons? Sharp swords, sturdy spears—we've got it all. If you want firearms, we have those too. Buy a few bombs for self-defense."
...
"Do you have a map?" Ethan asked.
A sly-looking Evolver immediately approached. First, he scanned the surroundings with a fierce gaze, scaring off his competitors. Then he carefully took out a map. "Brother, this map is a bargain at ten crystals."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Ten? Are you crazy? A map for ten energy crystals? Don't you know that one energy crystal can allow an ordinary person to evolve?"
The sly Evolver whispered, "Brother, this isn't just any map. It details the concentrations of powerful monsters and zombies outside Jawington. You don't want to get surrounded as soon as you step out, do you? This concerns your life. Isn't your life worth ten crystals?"
Ethan chuckled. "Three at most. No more."
The sly Evolver agreed readily, "Deal! You're a friend; here's the map."
Ethan felt he might have been tricked—it was too easy. But he didn't mind. He reached into his pocket, took out three rice-sized white crystals, and handed them over. The Evolver accepted them eagerly, then leaned closer to Ethan and whispered, "Brother, since you're so straightforward, here's a little something extra. No need to thank me." With that, he slipped a round pill into Ethan's hand and turned away.
Looking at the pill, Ethan's expression turned odd. He recognized it—an aphrodisiac.
After the apocalypse, many plants had mutated, rendering peacetime medicines obsolete. Drugs made from mutated plants were more effective. Ethan had seen others use this kind of aphrodisiac—the effect was undeniable. Moreover, such pills were precious and would sell for far more than three crystals. Where did this guy get it?
Without thinking much, Ethan casually tossed the pill away, glanced around, and headed toward the outer city.
Carefully studying the map, Ethan scanned with his eyes and finally focused on the barren hills south of the city. "Hopefully, there's a clue there."
At the top level of Mount Rosworth's internal space, a massive conference room was filled with people. The seat at the head was empty. To the left sat a man with a scarred face in military uniform; to the right sat a beautiful girl wearing glasses. Most seated here were commanders of ten thousand in the Cook Legion.
After a while, Arthur Cook entered the conference room and naturally took the main seat. His gaze swept over everyone before finally looking at the girl with glasses. "How's the planning going?"
She adjusted her glasses. "Preliminary estimates suggest that expanding the Jawington settlement will take at least two months. Combat personnel losses may reach two to three thousand. If we aim to include all of Jawington's territory from peacetime into the settlement, losses could triple."
Arthur Cook frowned. "The settlement must expand. The advancement northward has been relatively smooth. In a few months, we'll connect with the capital. Once the nation is linked, reclaiming our land will be much easier. We can't fall behind; we can't let others mock us."
"Saint Arthur, we've just received news that a Heaven-level powerhouse has emerged in Tianzhu—the Bitter Monk," the scar-faced man suddenly spoke.
Everyone was shocked. There were only seven Heaven-level powerhouses in all of Chicia, illustrating how rare they were. Who would've thought that Tianzhu had produced one?
Arthur Cook's eyes sharpened. "The Bitter Monk? Investigate his background. Logically, no one else should be able to break through to Heaven-level within a year."
"Understood."
"Is there anything else?" Arthur Cook continued.
Just as an Evolver subordinate to the scar-faced man was about to speak, his gaze suddenly froze, staring blankly out the window. The others followed suit, all looking dazedly outside.
Arthur Cook abruptly turned around and looked out the window, his eyes narrowing.
They saw dozens of meteors streaking across the sky, tearing through with long tails of flame. One of the meteors hurtled toward Jawington, finally landing south of the settlement. The ground shook slightly.
At this moment, countless survivors and Evolvers witnessed the scene. The meteors in the sky were as splendid as fireworks, vanishing in an instant.
Outside Jawington, Ethan Lowe, who was heading to the southern barren hills using the map, also saw it. The meteor that had crashed outside the city wasn't far from him.
A violent airwave swept the sky, dispersing the clouds. The ground cracked inch by inch.
Ethan kicked away a steel girder that was falling toward him, fixed his gaze southward, pondered for a moment, and quickly rushed over.
Inside Jawington, Arthur Cook soared into the air, intending to head south but was stopped. "Saint Arthur, countless zombies are attacking the city walls!"
Arthur Cook turned his gaze eastward. As far as the eye could see, a dark mass of zombies was wandering toward them. The city had already been sealed off, and many survivors were still trapped outside, crying out in despair.
Wielding his giant axe, Arthur Cook flew outside the city and slashed at the ground. Countless zombies were cut down. "Open the gates! Let them in! I will protect them!"
South of Jawington, at the meteor's crash site, smoke and dust soared into the sky. A massive pit spanned a kilometer in diameter, forming a conical shape. At the bottom was a white sphere, two meters in diameter, emitting white smoke. The surrounding air was distorted.
Ethan approached the pit, hiding in an abandoned factory nearby. Through a wooden plank, he looked at the white sphere, his eyes changing slightly. Though he had some guesses, its actual appearance still caught him off guard. "Didn't expect it to arrive earlier than I estimated—a spaceship."
With a soft sound, the hatch of the white spaceship opened. A hand reached out and paused. Then, a young man emerged from the ship. He had short hair, wore light white armor, and battle boots. Slowly walking out of the spaceship, he looked up and stretched lazily. "So tiring. If it's a trial, it's a trial. Why choose such a distant place and make us fly here ourselves? So annoying."
After speaking, the young man retrieved a short blade from the spaceship, then took out a device resembling a wristwatch and wore it on his left wrist. He tapped it, and beeping sounds echoed. His eyes focused sharply in Ethan's direction. "Who's there?" With that, he leaped up, drew his short blade, and slashed horizontally. A massive slash swept across, cutting the factory building in two.