Volume 1 Chapter 33: The Tower of City E

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“Now, we can have a proper talk about the toll.”

Li Hexuan spoke in an even tone, as though he had done nothing more than perform some insignificant little task.

No one dared raise another objection.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Hexuan “requisitioned” most of the supplies the Blood Shark Gang had stockpiled in the dock warehouses, including food, fresh water, medicine, and whatever weapons and ammunition remained usable.

Even the gang’s several reasonably well-maintained speedboats were cheerfully appropriated and used to replace the assault boats in his own group, which had been badly damaged in the earlier battle.

A minor leader of the Blood Shark Gang, scared witless, was dragged before Li Hexuan.

“Where exactly is the Origin Energy Tower?”

The man was so terrified that he had already lost control of himself. How could he possibly dare conceal anything? He spilled everything he knew in one breath.

“Sir! Gentlemen! The… the tower stands right in the center of E City, where the municipal government plaza used to be! It’s incredibly tall—now you can see it from anywhere in the city!”

“What’s the situation around it?”

“Chaotic! It’s a complete mess!” the underling wailed. “There are so many mutated monsters around that tower it’ll scare you half to death, and every one of them acts like it’s been pumped full of stimulants. And… and several factions are watching the place! The military wants control of it too, but it seems… it seems that isn’t easy. I heard they’ve already fought several battles with the other groups!”

“Other factions? Which ones?”

“There… there are security teams from some of the big companies that existed before, and a few esper organizations that appeared out of nowhere. Like… like the Iron Crocodile Society. Their boss is vicious—people say he’s far more powerful than our own Boss Xu Gang! Our Blood Shark Gang used to… used to pay protection money to the Iron Crocodile Society…”

The Iron Crocodile Society?

Li Hexuan made no comment. The waters of E City were indeed murkier than most.

Su Mengyi listened quietly from the side. She noticed the ordinary survivors on the dock, their faces gaunt and their expressions numb. In a place as chaotic as this, these people could barely guarantee even their most basic survival.

And that so-called Iron Crocodile Society certainly did not sound like a benevolent organization.

The turmoil at Xiangshui Bay Dock could not stir up much of a wave in the already muddy waters of E City.

Li Hexuan and the others did not linger. As soon as the supplies were secured and the boats replaced, they headed straight for the enormous tower that was gradually revealing its imposing silhouette against the city skyline.

Several hours later, three speedboats emerged from beneath the wreckage of a shattered bridge spanning the river, and the view ahead suddenly opened wide.

A vast expanse of land had risen abruptly from the ruins of the city, forming an isolated urban island.

At the very center of the island, a colossal tower of pitch-black material speared into the heavens. Its height and shape rendered every description pale and inadequate.

Strange patterns and protrusions covered the tower’s surface. They resembled bone, yet also metal—neither bone nor metal.

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Around the tower, energy spread like a tide, churning the air and creating visible ripples of distortion.

Even from several miles away, that immense pressure of energy struck them head-on, squeezing the breath from their lungs.

“Good grief, this thing… it’s unbelievably spectacular!” Zhang Nan stared in astonishment, his throat dry.

The tallest building he had ever seen before would not even qualify as a hillock beside this colossal tower.

Su Mengyi’s breathing quickened. She could clearly sense the energy within it. “What an intense fluctuation. It’s countless times denser than the king-grade origin crystal of the Anglerfish King!”

Li Hexuan fixed his eyes on the tower as bloody scenes from his previous life churned through his mind.

The Origin Energy Tower. He had returned.

This place had once been humanity’s last hope—and the graveyard of countless powerful beings.

“Brother Xuan, how are we getting over there? The water beneath the tower looks downright ominous!” one of the team members said, pointing at the turbid waves rolling around the tower’s foundations and the dark shadows that occasionally darted through the water. His scalp prickled.

Li Hexuan said, “Slow down. Find somewhere to land along the edge of the ruins. The tower’s energy radiation is too intense. The monsters in the water are probably more vicious than the last.”

The speedboats moved slowly through the waterway, which was strewn with construction debris.

The closer they drew to the colossal tower, the denser the energy in the air became, until it seemed almost impossible to disperse. It sent waves of prickling sensation across their skin.

“Roooar—!”

They had just rounded a half-collapsed office building when a terrifying wolf howl suddenly exploded from ahead!

Dozens of black shadows shot from the ruins along the shore like arrows, lunging straight at the speedboats.

These monsters were several times larger than ordinary wolves. Their fur was a bizarre dark gray, and they moved so quickly that afterimages trailed behind them. Their limbs were powerful, and they ran in utter silence, save for the sharp, unnerving scrape of their claws against the concrete.

“Mutated wolfhounds! Their claws and fangs are poisonous! Watch yourselves!” Li Hexuan immediately called out the monsters’ identity.

“Damn, just in time!” Zhang Nan growled. With a clang, he planted his enormous shield at the bow of the boat.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The weapons in the team’s hands belched flames simultaneously, and a storm of bullets swept toward the pack.

But the beasts were cunning. Using the ruins as cover, they darted unpredictably, causing most of the bullets to miss.

Even when a few rounds struck home, they merely tore shallow wounds through the monsters’ thick fur. Instead, they drove the beasts completely berserk.

“Awooo!”

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One mutated wolfhound suddenly sprang from the shore, soaring more than thirty feet into the air. Its razor-sharp claws tore through the wind as it lunged straight for Li Hexuan’s speedboat.

“Get lost!”

Li Hexuan neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he advanced. Lightning flared around his right fist as he drove it into the wolfhound’s skull.

“Boom!”

The muffled blast rang out like a peal of thunder.

The savage mutated wolfhound did not even have time to utter a sound before its entire head exploded. Red and white matter splattered everywhere, filling the air with a rancid stench.

There were simply too many wolfhounds, and they had no fear of death. They charged forward like mad beasts. In the blink of an eye, several broke through the wall of fire and leaped directly onto the speedboats.

“Protect Miss Su!” one of the team members shouted. He threw himself in front of Su Mengyi, swinging the fire axe in his hands in a full arc toward an oncoming wolfhound.

At that very moment, a dense burst of gunfire and furious shouting suddenly erupted behind them to one side.

“Damn it! These dogs just won’t die!”

“Hold the line! Don’t let the bastards scatter us!”

Li Hexuan’s attention, however, was drawn by the commotion from another group not far away.

Three battered fishing boats were like nests of disturbed hornets. More than a dozen figures fled for their lives across the decks, their situation clearly even more desperate than that of Li Hexuan’s group.

Two members of that party also radiated the fluctuations of espers. One was a middle-aged man wielding a broad saber with tremendous force, every stroke accompanied by a gale of wind. He was clearly a strength-type fighter. Beside him, a young woman could lash out with several vines that struck and coiled around the beasts, though they did not appear particularly powerful.

“Friends! There are too many wolfhounds. Let’s join forces and clear them out first!” Li Hexuan’s voice cut through the din of battle and reached the boats opposite.

The middle-aged man punched a wolfhound that had leaped onto the gunwale, sending it flying. Even amid the chaos, he shouted back, “All right! We’ll move toward you!”

The two groups quickly closed ranks and stood back-to-back, hastily forming a crude defensive circle.

“Thunder-Magnetic Storm!”

Li Hexuan spared no origin energy. A violent electromagnetic field erupted in an instant, and deep-blue arcs of electricity raged in every direction. Several wolfhounds at the forefront were instantly charred black, tumbling to the ground amid shrieks and continuous convulsions.

Zhang Nan was even more imposing, like a tower of iron. He swung his massive shield in broad arcs, smashing the approaching wolfhounds until bones snapped and flesh flew.

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