“One box of penicillin in exchange for your seasonings and pickled vegetables.”
Lin Mao sent the private message without hesitation.
The other side replied almost instantly.
“Really?! Boss, you actually have penicillin? Deal! I’ll trade!”
The system completed the exchange immediately.
Two sturdy cardboard boxes appeared before Lin Mao.
One box contained neatly packed basic seasonings—salt, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and more.
The other was filled with vacuum-sealed pickled mustard strips.
Lin Mao honestly had no idea where they had found these supplies.
In this wilderness, he hadn’t even seen a trace of modern civilization, let alone cooking seasonings.
Seeing the new supplies, Wen Rou’s eyes lit up.
“Lin Mao, we got new stuff again?”
“Mm. Tonight we can finally have white porridge with pickled vegetables.”
Lin Mao pushed the boxes into the corner of the cave, where their growing pile of supplies was already stacked.
Even without counting the food sealed inside his system storage, the resources outside alone were enough for the three of them to survive for several months.
The only problem was that the Blood Moon still hadn’t ended.
According to the veteran mercenaries, the regional boss had to be defeated before the Blood Moon could completely disappear.
Since there was nothing else to do while hiding in the cave, Lin Mao took out two Awakening Potions and handed one to each girl.
Based on the system’s information:
Wen Rou possessed the talent Poison Detection, while Li Ruyue had Telekinesis.
Both were excellent abilities.
Especially telekinesis.
Lin Mao had personally experienced how useful it was.
Perfect for transportation, combat, and all kinds of labor.
There was no reason not to awaken it.
As for the remaining three Awakening Potions, Lin Mao planned to drink them himself and see whether his talents could evolve further.
Wen Rou accepted the potion hesitantly.
“Lin Mao… this thing must be very valuable, right? Shouldn’t you keep it for yourself?”
“No need to worry. I still have three more.”
Lin Mao casually lifted another bottle.
“Let’s test the effects first.”
The Awakening Potion tasted surprisingly good.
Like chilled apple juice.
Lin Mao drank it in one gulp.
A cool liquid slid down his throat before transforming into a warm current that spread throughout his entire body.
At almost the same moment, faint light appeared around Wen Rou and Li Ruyue.
Wen Rou closed her eyes slightly, as if sensing invisible toxins in the surrounding environment.
…
Meanwhile, ripples distorted the air around Li Ruyue.
Several small stones slowly floated into the air and began circling around her body.
Her telekinesis had officially awakened.
But Lin Mao had no attention left to observe them.
A violent surge of energy exploded inside his body.
Crackle!
Blue-white lightning burst wildly around him, scorching black marks into the cave walls.
The air itself became electrically charged.
Even the girls’ hair began standing on end.
“Lin Mao! What’s happening?!”
“I’m going outside!”
Suppressing the violent power raging inside him, Lin Mao used telekinesis to propel himself toward the cave entrance.
But the moment he rushed outside—
BOOM!!!
Thunder exploded across the clear sky.
Centered around Lin Mao, the air within a hundred-meter radius twisted violently.
Countless arcs of electricity blasted the ground black.
System notifications rang rapidly inside his mind.
…
【Detected: Host consumed High-Grade Awakening Potion ×3】
【Talent “Thunder Control” gained massive experience】
【Limit Break Achieved】
【Talent Upgraded】
【Thunder Control LV1 → LV3】
【New Form Unlocked: Thunder God Form】
【Effect: Greatly increases lightning power for a short duration. Body partially transforms into elemental lightning.】
【Telekinesis Talent also gained experience】
【Telekinesis LV1 → LV2】
【Precision +30%】
【Control Strength +50%】
【Range +20%】
…
Lin Mao floated high in the sky, feeling the overwhelming power surging through his body.
“So damn good…”
Electric arcs split and twisted around his fingertips before forming into a dagger made entirely of lightning.
The lightning blade floated around him like a living spirit.
With a casual wave of his hand—
BOOM!
The blade shot forward and instantly shattered a massive boulder three hundred meters away.
“So this is the power of Level 3!”
Excitement blazed in Lin Mao’s eyes.
“Now let’s test just how strong this Thunder God Form really is.”
…
The yellow-haired birdman crouched impatiently on a tree branch, chewing on a blade of grass.
“Doghead, you sure it’s this direction?”
Below him, a humanoid creature with a canine head sniffed the ground repeatedly.
“No mistake.”
The dog-headed mutant raised its nose.
“The energy signature matches perfectly. The target the boss wants is definitely here.”
“Tch.”
The birdman flapped his wings impatiently.
“So that woman Song Leyi wasn’t lying after all.”
“If that brat really has tons of supplies, the boss is definitely going to reward us.”
The dog-headed mutant grinned, exposing sharp teeth.
“I only care whether tonight’s celebration feast still happens. I heard that kid also has two pretty girls in his shelter.”
Before he could finish speaking—
BOOM!!!
A deafening thunderclap erupted from the distant mountains.
The two of them turned simultaneously.
Dark thunderclouds swirled above the mountain range, lightning flashing violently within them.
“Holy shit!”
The birdman’s eyes widened.
“That’s the guy?!”
“The energy fluctuations match perfectly!”
The dog-headed mutant shouted excitedly.
“He’s evolving right now! Let’s attack while he’s weakened!”
Without hesitation, the birdman spread his wings and charged straight into the thunderclouds.
But the instant he entered the lightning zone—
He met Lin Mao face-to-face.
One lightning spear.
That was all it took.
The birdman was blasted out of the sky instantly and crashed unconscious into the forest below.
The dog-headed mutant froze in horror.
Even their boss couldn’t do something like that.
That bitch Song Leyi tricked them!
Before he could escape, however—
He slammed into an invisible wall.
The next second, a massive invisible hand seized him and dragged him into the air before Lin Mao.
“At first, I thought I accidentally attacked some random survivors.”
Lin Mao’s cold voice echoed through the storm.
“But now it seems you two came here with a purpose.”
The dog-headed mutant struggled desperately, but the invisible grip tightened around his throat.
“Talk.”
“Who sent you?”
“What do you want?”
“And why were you looking for this place?”