No wonder that frail old man had managed to survive this long!

The slanted-eyed man noticed that the old guy was also strikingly clean and healthy.

This superhuman was impressively powerful—not only could he maintain a good quality of life for himself, but he could also elevate those around him to that same level!

The slanted-eyed man could hardly comprehend how this was possible.

In an era of food scarcity during the purple mist, how was he doing this?

Suddenly, his instincts screamed alarm, sending tremors through his body as he felt an overwhelming urge to flee.

James Lone cast a casual glance at the slanted-eyed man, making him freeze in place, afraid of upsetting the powerful figure.

James shifted his interest back to the burly leader. "Oh? How long can you extend the life of food?"

The burly man answered impatiently, "Opened food can last up to five days; if it's half-eaten, two to three more days. Now that you know, hurry up and give me that ability fruit!"

James contemplated for a moment.

It sounded like an ability to suppress microbial growth.

He nodded in satisfaction. "Thanks."

Then he crushed the ability fruit in his hand!

Pfft!

Everyone stood in shock.

The burly man was the first to react, his anger boiling over. "You little punk! Are you looking for death... Big brother, I take it back!"

He quickly changed his tune as he noticed James Lone mysteriously producing a handgun, the dark muzzle pointing menacingly at him.

James grinned. "Hmm, don't make that mistake again; it's not good for your health."

The burly man: ???

Bang!

A bullet struck him directly in the forehead, and he fell backward, lifeless.

The remaining six were paralyzed with fear.

Before they could even plead for mercy, James opened fire again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each shot dispatched the remaining members, leaving their bodies sprawled on the ground.

Wot felt a mix of dread and relief; he was fortunate to have stayed close to James Lone.

To become James Lone's enemy was definitely a nightmare.

After confirming with his perception that all seven were dead, James rummaged through their belongings but found little of value.

"Let's move," he said as he gestured for Wot to follow.

One minute later, a man crept toward the scene cautiously. He saw the pile of dead bodies and hurriedly approached.

To his delight, he discovered that the backpacks still contained food!

He began to scour them, not caring how much blood stained his hands.

Just then, he heard faint footsteps softly approaching through the purple mist.

Feeling a rush of fear, he hoisted his pack and made a swift exit.

A moment later, four figures cautiously approached the site:

"The gunfire should be coming from this direction." "I can't hear anything now; the shooter must have left." "We need to hurry!"

As they found the corpses, they rushed in:

"Damn! All the food is gone!" "Of course! Who's going to leave food behind?" "Grab whatever's useful; we need to hurry before others arrive!"

After the four left, waves of survivors began to trickle in, seeking to scavenge the bodies.

A few minor scuffles broke out in the frenzy.

Within ten minutes, the bodies of the seven men had been dragged away.

As the scent of flesh filled the air, all traces of their survival disappeared completely.

...

James Lone returned to the RV, asking Lydia to prepare a breakfast for both him and Wot.

The women looked at Wot in surprise.

James usually didn't allow Wot to eat with them, and they were curious about how he had earned his trust.

Wot gratefully finished his meal.

Afterward, James inquired, "What ability do you want?"

Choose? Wot's eyes brightened with excitement as he thought it over. "I'd like to enhance my physical fitness."

James had assumed Wot would ask for an ability related to plant growth, given his long-standing interest in botany.

Curious, James asked, "Why that one?"

Wot replied, recalling his earlier fear, "If I had been in better shape earlier, I could have made it back. My weakness is what got me captured; if it weren't for Mr. Lone, I would be dead. In the purple mist era, physical strength is essential for survival."

James smiled knowingly. "Smart choice."

He produced a Body Enhancement fruit (2 stars) and a Plant Growth fruit (1 star). "These are your rewards. One will enhance your physical abilities, while the other will speed up plant growth—useful for your botanical research."

This had been James's plan all along: if Wot brought him an ability fruit, he would reward him with two in return.

Wot beamed with joy. "You mean it can accelerate plant growth?"

James nodded. "Jiang Bansha has that ability too; you should talk to her about it. Oh, and she's studying medicine, so don't hesitate to share your knowledge. Jiang Bansha, come over—this is Dr. Wot from the Magic Sea Hospital. You should learn from him."

James had wanted Jiang Bansha and Wot to collaborate for a while now.

Should anything happen to Wot, the team needed a knowledgeable doctor they could trust.

Jiang Bansha promptly replied, "Yes, Master."

She carefully addressed Wot, "Dr. Li, if I'm not learning quickly enough, feel free to reprimand me."

Medical students at internships often faced heavy pressure from seasoned doctors.

Having not yet graduated, Jiang Bansha had heard plenty of horror stories about senior doctors from her peers, instilling a sense of dread.

Wot, understanding the importance of keeping a positive rapport with James and the women, quickly waved his hands. "Miss Jiang, I wouldn't dare say such things. We can all learn from each other."

The two exchanged pleasantries, formalizing their teacher-student relationship.

Once Wot was dismissed, James retrieved the newly acquired ability fruit from his pocket.

Who should he give it to?

He contemplated for a moment.

Reflecting on his earlier strategy, every woman should have a distinct specialty ability.

Besides perception, body enhancement, and phasing, many women possessed abilities that others lacked.

For instance, Monroe had willpower linkage, Su Jin had life activation, and April had teleportation.

The only ones left without unique abilities were Shirley Inr Won, Lily, Lydia, and Sita.

Aside from Shirley—whose physique was perfect for enhancing her perception—the rest would focus on that moving forward.

Lily had just messed up and wouldn't receive a reward this time.

So, it seemed fitting to give it to the sweet and somewhat naive Lydia.

James called over Lydia, casually offering, "Your cooking has improved quite a bit; this is a reward for you."

Lydia's face lit up with joy. "Thank you, thank you!"

All the women looked on with envy.

Lydia carefully consumed the ability fruit. Ding! Lydia has consumed 1 Enlightenment Fruit - Basic Source Energy Mastery, returning 1500 units! Added to spatial storage. Basic Source Energy Mastery (4 stars): After consumption, you can better control the source energy within your body; you can infuse source energy into your body or external objects, yielding significant enhancement effects.

What was this Source Energy? James Lone was puzzled.

He hadn't expected to encounter such an unfamiliar term.

Without hesitation, James took out a Source Energy Infusion fruit and ate it.

In an instant, he felt his qi awaken!

No longer a stagnant force lingering within him, waiting to explode only during high-pressure moments, now the qi flowed freely like it had come alive.

James reveled in the astounding sensation of guiding his qi through his body.

This experience was extraordinary!

"Qi is Source Energy!"

He had an epiphany and quickly opened his panel to view the details of his newfound ability: Basic Source Energy Mastery: 4 stars; you can enhance your control over the source energy within your body. You can inject this energy into yourself or external objects, resulting in substantial enhancement effects.

James was thrilled at this new discovery.

With the prospect of harnessing this ability, he began to contemplate how best to utilize it.

"While the power of Source Energy infusion is undeniably strong, it consumes a substantial amount of energy. Sustaining a few attacks will leave me drained. Without that energy, I can't use my phasing ability, which directly impacts my survival. I need a strategy."

James furrowed his brow for a moment, an idea swirling in his mind.

He first took out a steel pellet.

100% Energy Infusion!

He concentrated all his source energy into that single steel pellet.

In an instant, the pellet began to shimmer, glowing brilliantly, almost too dazzling to look at.

"That's still not enough!" James narrowed his eyes.

With a surge of blood energy, he pressed it to 500%!

His overall power surged, exceeding 1000!

The sudden feeling of heightened strength made him feel like he could crush stars with a single hand.

James hurled the pellet towards the ground with all his might!

Under his incredible strength, the pellet left a glowing trail behind as it burrowed deep into the earth for over ten meters!

Then...

Boom!

A crater measuring over ten meters wide and deep exploded from the ground!

Nearby trees creaked and toppled, crashing to the ground with a resounding roar.

James's eyes lit up with excitement.

This power was immense!

It was far more potent than the army's 155 artillery!

This was the strongest attack he could currently pull off!

James quickly halted his blood energy surge and resumed his breathing exercises to regain his source energy.

After a swift recovery, he took out another steel pellet.

100% Energy Infusion! 500% Blood Energy Surge!

Once again, he hurled the steel pellet, but this time, just as it was released, he swiftly stored it in his spatial storage.

The pellet vanished in the blink of an eye.

James promptly opened his spatial storage.

Inside, the pellet remained suspended, glowing brilliantly!

James felt a surge of triumph.

The glow indicated that the source energy had not dissipated; it was still contained within the pellet.

Source energy truly functioned as a form of energy.

If the source energy hadn't disappeared, the kinetic energy from his 500% blood energy surge should still be present!

The next step was crucial.

James aimed forward and retrieved the pellet once more.

As it exited his spatial storage, the pellet shot forward with incredible speed!

The kinetic energy was still intact!

The pellet struck the ground, detonating on impact.

Boom!

This explosion was too close, showering James with dirt and debris.

Yet he didn't mind at all; he was overjoyed.

This method allowed him to store up energy during normal times and unleash it when facing formidable foes!

James immediately began his breathing exercises again, feeling completely refreshed within two minutes, then retrieved another steel pellet.

100% Energy Infusion! 500% Blood Energy Surge!

James once again threw the steel pellet, immediately storing it as it flew through the air.

An hour later, James finally had to halt.

Despite intermittently using the 500% blood energy surge, his strength had dropped by half.

Nevertheless, he had successfully amassed twenty steel pellets infused with source energy in his spatial storage.

With a smile, James Lone returned to the convoy.

The women had already packed up and were preparing to set off.

James opened a portal to glance through.

The green-eyed creature was still there.

As soon as he opened the portal, it looked back at him.

James felt a moment of panic, hastily shutting the portal.

"How do I feel like it's getting closer? Is it capable of long-distance movement through the subspace?"

James couldn't make sense of it, deciding to set it aside for now.

Just then, a woman's heart-wrenching wails pierced the night air. "Dear Herman! What's happened to you! What's happened?!"

In the past night, so many had died.

Crying and the sounds of suffering filled the area around them.

James Lone remained unfazed. "Time to go. We need to cover at least fifteen kilometers today."

Sofie nodded in agreement. "Understood."

Pressing her hand against the vehicle, she activated her gravity distortion ability.

Instantly, all vehicles felt significantly lighter, and the convoy began to move forward slowly.

As they passed the distraught woman, she was crying inconsolably, "Herman! Herman! What will I do if you're dead?"

The women leaned out of the windows to gaze at her.

The woman was weeping, desperately trying to pull off mushrooms from a man's body.

The man's skin was covered in bright red mushrooms.

The crimson caps bore green spots that looked downright eerie.

The fungal roots were deeply embedded in his flesh.

When the woman yanked them off, the roots writhed like living creatures, desperately seeking to tunnel back into the blood and muscle, while the man occasionally spat out blood.

The sight was grotesque.

Aside from that woman, the other survivors stood petrified at a distance, too afraid to approach, instead offering advice from afar.

"Katia, we need to leave!" "Take heart; this is just how it is now—every day of survival is a win." "Herman has found peace; we're the ones who still suffer. Katia, stop crying; if you cry too much, you'll have no one to treat you!"

...

James Lone watched the man's lifeless body, seeing the fungal roots coursing through his blood vessels and muscles, even piercing the bones into the marrow.

That woman was doomed as well.

After she touched the mushrooms, tiny spores had already begun to settle on her skin, taking root.

Ordinary people wouldn't be able to see the threat, but within James's perception, everything was crystal clear.

Among James's women, Shirley Inr Won had the highest perception ability and quickly spotted something amiss with that woman.

James Lone gently reminded through the mental link, "Close the windows. Those people have been infected by the red mushrooms; let's not get too close."

The women immediately changed color, hurriedly shutting the windows as the convoy moved past.

Shirley cast a last glance at the group of survivors who vanished into the mist.

Their fates were already sealed.