Apocalypse: Hero of Potato Fields

After coming into contact with the Tirion Star Fragment.

Lin Yi was teleported to the center of the shelter, seeing nothing but ruins, though the desk, laptop, and everything else on the table were intact.

Due to some barrier protection of the shelter, they couldn't be destroyed.

He walked to the hole in the ground and summoned the World Heart Snake.

Conversing directly with this snake was much easier than telepathy, because ever since he refused to have intimate contact with her, she'd become reticent...

The snake introduced Lin Yi to the situation of this world that needed "help defending."

This is a wasteland planet, where the air is polluted and toxic, almost all plant and animal life has become extinct, there's no fresh water, and both the water and soil are poisonous.

...

"So what kind of creatures live here?"

The Forest Lord muttered to himself, standing in front of the teleportation gate, accompanied by a team of soldiers equipped with fourth-level gear.

There were eight of them in total, each with a set of fourth-level armor; only with such equipment could they survive in such a hazardous environment.

However, according to the professor, his regeneration skills could even protect him from radiation damage.

The World Heart Snake was adamant that Lin Yi personally visit that planet.

So he began inspecting the soldiers. They were wielding laser rifles and carrying backpacks, fully prepared.

Lin Yi nodded.

Stepping toward the unknown...

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in the outskirts of Lille Camp.

An underground parking lot in a small town.

The deepest level of the parking lot suddenly lit up, and dozens of objects resembling fleshy corn cobs began to glow.

Under the bright red light, something could be seen moving inside, something twitching...

Then... an arm broke through the outermost layer, a kind of transparent liquid flowed from the hole.

Next came a head.

It was red and looked extremely terrifying...

This creature tore apart the membrane between it and the outside world, finally breaking free.

But they weren't just one, there were hundreds, even thousands...

They looked like the red zombies of Paris but somewhat different.

Similar scenes could be seen across France.

~~~~~~

Lin Yi and the squad emerged from the small yellow teleportation gate, greeted by a barren wasteland under a scorching sun.

In this desolate land, only the relentless heat remained, with clusters of half-dead, charred weeds in sight.

The sun seemed hot enough to instantly evaporate an entire lake, and the deep blue hue passing across the sky occasionally brought momentary respite.

"Interesting," Lin Yi murmured, shaking his head, "Where are those zombies?"

"Boss! There's a hill over there, should we check around it?" a soldier asked.

Lin Yi nodded, and the squad set out toward that higher vantage point.

However... wherever they looked, they couldn't find anything resembling zombies or cities.

After pondering for a moment, he decided to head north.

He thought the northern direction might be cooler, so any inhabited place should be there.

The soldiers exchanged glances, unable to refute this seemingly flawless logic, they set forth.

Yet the farther they went, the more Lin Yi doubted if he could really reach the destination.

This wasteland seemed endless,

and... it was utterly silent.

As they crossed a dried-up riverbed, it was hard to believe that this winding, slightly red trail had once harbored life.

They scanned the horizon, seeing only desolate hills, among which an object resembling rusted airplane debris protruded from one.

Wind whipped up wave after wave of stinging dust, even the distant forest seemed lifeless, with only dried shrubs and twisted trunks.

This was all they saw in their four-hour trek northward.

"Let's set up camp, four of us keep watch, the other four eat and rest," Lin Yi commanded.

He halted the squad in the heart of the forest.

They were almost at the forest's edge yet hadn't encountered a single zombie or any animal.

Most of the trees here were dead, but a few were still slowly decaying.

This reminded him of the forest on Wandering Island, but the trees here weren't blackened by disease, just simply dying.

All members of the squad were equipped with identical hiking gear, presented in the form of a bracelet.

They only needed to point at a location, and a sealed tent would appear, complete with an independent life support system, portable kitchen, sleeping bags, and tools.

Lin Yi and three other team members rested first.

As soon as he entered the tent, upon seeing that the power armor indicated the air was safe to breathe, he took off his helmet and reached for his backpack.

"Hey, still warm..."

He was famished and said contentedly while devouring a large chunk of meat, potatoes, and a serving of Russian salad from a sealed container.

Having anticipated not immediately finding zombies, the squad was well-prepared for this journey.

After eating and resting for half an hour, Lin Yi and the other three soldiers packed up the tent and took over the watch duty.

While patrolling around the camp, he meticulously checked the trees, soil, and the entire area.

The forest soil, unlike that on the wasteland, was somewhat loose...

almost swamp-like.

Since the helmet was sealed, he couldn't smell anything but was sure this place probably reeked.

He carried a laser rifle on his back, a light beam blade on his shoulder, and a portable scanner on his belt.

"There's something wrong here, boss! We have so many beauties waiting for us in the shelter, yet we're wandering around this dead planet..."

Piero was extremely agitated; after buying Catwoman, he had yet to spend time with her before coming to this barren place...

Upon hearing about the shelter, Lin Yi frowned.

As soon as they stepped out of the teleportation gate, they lost contact with the shelter, and the teleportation ability was useless...

That's why he forced the soldiers to carry a large amount of supplies.

Who knows what they might need here?

In the team, Piero and Joe were the most exhausted because, as mages, their power attributes were relatively low.

"We're wandering around this dead planet to ensure our women don't die like this place."

He answered impatiently.

"Stop talking nonsense, keep your eyes wide open."

"Alright, boss… the scanner hasn't shown anything yet, it'll warn us if zombies appear..."

"What if they're cannibals, huh? Do you want to become kebabs?"

"If they really exist… how could anyone survive here?"

"If the World Heart Snake said there are people here, then surely there are."

Bickering with his subordinates killed some boring time, and the squad continued forward.

The sun set, and they still hadn't found anything they could hunt.

Although they brought enough supplies, if they couldn't find anyone at all? What if it takes years?

But there's one good thing: they don't have to worry about water because their camping gear includes a water purification device.

The squad camped for the night in a former river bed.

This river, once two meters deep and thirty meters wide, had long since turned into a sun-baked channel.

The next day.

The sky was clear, and the sun was even bigger.

Fortunately, their helmets could protect them from strong light, and the temperature control system of their suits made them more comfortable.

But the squad was still very fatigued.

Morale had hit an all-time low.

But Lin Yi kept leading at the front, to him, these minor hardships meant nothing.

Finally, his persistence paid off.

A soldier with Third Level Hawkeye skills climbed a small hill and saw some structures in the distance.

Unfortunately, it was still a whole day's journey away...

Along the way, they encountered some rusty scrap metal, but couldn't quite determine what it was.

Once touched, these metals crumbled into dust, as if merging with the ground.

After lunch, the squad arrived at a desert.

The scorched wasteland, dotted with dead trees, gradually turned into a vast expanse of dunes with sand everywhere.

Their armor was equipped with compasses; otherwise, they would surely be completely lost because as far as the eye could see, there were only endless sand dunes.

As night fell, a sandstorm erupted.

Visibility dropped to almost zero.

Under such circumstances, camping was perilous, what if their tents were buried by sand?

About two hours later, the sandstorm subsided, and the squad set up camp.

A soldier on night watch shouted, "I hear strange noises outside!"

Another soldier ran to the tent, waking everyone.

He pressed a button outside the tent, triggering an alarm in all tents.

Gunfire immediately erupted.

A soldier stared ahead, firing into the darkness, "Target spotted. Fire."

"What's outside?" a soldier guarding the north of the camp asked.

On this cloudy, moonless night, visibility was zero.

"I can't see, it's too dark."

"Everything's normal in the south."

"Everything's normal in the west—wait, what was that noise? Who heard it?"

"Not zombies! The scanner didn't react, maybe a mutated animal… but it must be small."

Lin Yi quickly packed the camp and arrived at the defense position with three soldiers.

"What's wrong?"

"Something was moving, I fired a few shots, but I don't know if I hit anything."

"If you didn't get any experience points, then you didn't hit anything."

Lin Yi said, peering into the darkness.

He couldn't see anything...

"Let's move quickly, if we've been discovered, camping here is too dangerous. Who knows what kind of monsters live nearby? We'll camp when the sun comes out and sleep for a few hours."

"Yes, boss!"

The squad continued their journey but stayed vigilant.

They heard strange sounds several times, then opened fire immediately, but no one gained experience points.

Either they missed or only wounded the targets.

In a way, this is good news!

This means there are living creatures here, so they will eventually gain experience points and rewards.

The third day...