Chapter 11 Settlement and Return

Within the apartment shrouded in thick fog.

In the spacious lobby on the first floor, several bodies lay scattered across the ground. Most of their heads had been blown apart, making it impossible to discern their faces.

At the center of these corpses stood an unremarkable white chair. Seated upon it was a man dressed in a dark athletic jacket. He straddled the plastic chair, his right hand resting on a black bat adorned with golden patterns, its tip pressed against the floor. His left hand, missing its palm, was casually placed upon his knee.

Zhou Yan gazed idly at the countdown ticking toward zero in the upper left of his vision. He thought for a moment, picked up the bat, and struck heavily against the iron basin at his feet.

A metallic clang echoed far and wide. Even after a long pause, no movement came in response.

“Looks like there are no more enemies left in this scene...” He shrugged, a hint of regret in his voice.

Having entered his super-fusion form, Zhou Yan had slain the monstrous “Soldier Demon” and, relying on his formidable attributes, scaled to the rooftop, then began clearing each floor downward. Along the way, he eliminated two “Soldier Thralls” and countless ordinary armed foes, but never again encountered an enemy of the “Soldier Demon” caliber.

Aside from one “Soldier Thrall” dropping a rune factor that boosted his “Spirit,” the numerous monsters he defeated yielded not a single other trophy. Clearly, the drop rate for small fry was abysmally low. That the armed enemy he killed just outside was generous enough to drop a rune factor must have been sheer luck.

Fortunately, though trophies were few, the necessary spiritual energy was not lacking. Even accounting for the extra consumption of life-gear durability in his ace enforcer form, he’d amassed nearly a thousand units of spiritual energy.

[Spiritual Energy: 947]

Now, Zhou Yan had swept through the entire apartment building. With nothing left to do, he could only wait.

At last, the survival task countdown reached zero. An information panel woven from mist flashed before his eyes, filling with text.

[Chaos Cataclysm Realm No. “532856” — Traversal Complete]
[Basic Task: “Survive” for 6 hours (Completed)]
[Bonus Task: Kill at least one enemy (Completed)]
[Final Kill Count: 101]
[Cataclysm Realm Traversal completed beyond expectations]
[Rating: 100]
[Rating Reward: Pathway Codex]
[Settlement complete. Returning soon.]

Pathway Codex?

Seeing this unfamiliar term, Zhou Yan was about to examine it, but his world was plunged into darkness.

From an observer’s perspective, Zhou Yan, who sat upright on the white plastic chair, had his once bright left eye turn vacant in an instant, as if his soul had departed.

Immediately after, his entire body disintegrated into countless particles, vanishing into the air.

The moment Zhou Yan’s body collapsed, the dense fog surrounding the apartment building began to dissipate.

Outside, the street was bathed in sunlight but eerily silent. Along the street wandered figures carrying weapons—blades, swords, clubs, and even a substantial number wielding firearms, dressed in uniforms.

Each face was twisted and terrifying, eyes bloodshot. Among them mingled many monsters in the form of “Soldier Thralls” and “Soldier Demons” that Zhou Yan had previously slain.

This world—

Civilization had long since perished!

Spiraling, ascending—

It felt as if he had pierced some boundary. Zhou Yan’s eyes snapped open.

Before him was a familiar room—not one from Earth, but a small chamber in Southern Bright Sword Pavilion.

He glanced down at his still-disabled left hand, a faintly dazed expression on his face before a relieved smile appeared.

Well... seems I still haven’t returned to Earth.

After confirming his location, his first act was to set down the wooden sword he’d gripped before the traversal and reach for his phone.

PM 08:26...

His eyes trembled.

Time had not passed. Or rather, the elapsed time since before the traversal was less than a minute.

He remembered clearly that just before the countdown ended, he had checked the time.

“I was in the Chaos Cataclysm Realm for a full six hours, yet in reality, not a moment has passed...”

Muttering to himself, Zhou Yan soon noticed another difference.

In the cataclysm realm, he had been struck heavily on the left arm by a Soldier Thrall’s bat, the pain intense, at least a bone fracture. Yet now, his body was completely unharmed, identical to his state before the traversal.

So, is this traversal a physical crossing or a spiritual one...?

If it’s a spiritual crossing, why was his body in that world identical to his current one, with the same disability...?

Zhou Yan pondered.

But he quickly stopped dwelling on it. As always, with insufficient information, there’s no need to overthink and trouble oneself.

In truth, he didn’t have time to dwell. A series of information prompts flashed before his eyes.

[First Cataclysm Realm Traversal Completed]
[Next Cataclysm Realm Traversal: 3 days later]
[“Exchange” function now available]

[“Life Gear” and “Talents” now fully operational]
[Warning: Life Gear’s power defies common sense. To avoid unnecessary attention, please use with caution.]

Zhou Yan read the information, nodding inwardly. Though his personality had long prepared him to strictly guard his secrets, the golden finger itself now cautioned him to be careful with the life gear, making him instinctively uneasy.

He looked down at himself, seeing he still wore the sweat-soaked T-shirt from before the traversal; the life gear was not equipped.

Yet he could clearly sense he could summon it at any time.

It seems, after the traversal ends, the life gear is automatically removed...

Zhou Yan mused silently, then noticed another change.

He felt weak and sluggish. His spirit was waning, gone was the wondrous sensation of “10” and above.

Without the life gear equipped, the attribute bonuses were slashed by eighty percent.

His stats, once above ordinary levels, now reverted to normal.

Compared to his fusion form, the gap was staggering.

The immense sense of loss flooded his body.

He’d been restored to his original state.

Zhou Yan fell silent for a moment, then clenched his right fist.

“I myself... must become stronger...”

No matter how powerful, the life gear was external—and always at risk of being lost.

If he relied solely on this external force, he would surely meet a tragic end if ever unable to use it!

It had been about two weeks since he’d arrived in this world. Though he hadn’t deliberately investigated, he could vaguely sense differences from Earth.

This world, modernized much like Earth, possessed something its inhabitants took for granted, yet utterly foreign to Earthlings—Martial Arts.

Martial prowess flourished here, but the “martial arts” of this world were unlike those of Earth.

He had witnessed Luo Xuan demonstrating skills while instructing students—her swordplay was fierce and swift, her movements agile, darting about like a startled rabbit.

Though not quite at the level of wuxia films on Earth, when compared to the high realism of movies such as “Kung Fu Jungle” or “Rurouni Kenshin,” it was flawless.

With such abilities, she would be considered a sword sage on Earth, able to fight a hundred men alone.

And Luo Xuan’s level was not even at the top; she was said to be only at the so-called “Ferocious” tier.

Above her were the “Subtle” tier and even higher masters...

He needed to be cautious, ever vigilant.

Zhou Yan pondered briefly, then opened his personal panel.

During the traversal settlement, he had received something called the “Pathway Codex.”

An unfamiliar term—it piqued his curiosity.

Focusing on his own strength was important, but it didn’t mean ignoring opportunities to enhance his life gear.

Grasp both with equal determination!

***