James Lone flexed his fingers, feeling as though he were wearing nothing at all; his joints were incredibly agile. As he moved, the Will Armor transformed rapidly, always conforming to his body perfectly.

He noticed that the armor didn't touch his skin but hovered about a millimeter above it. When he reached out to touch a nearby tree trunk, his fingers felt the tree as if he had directly made contact, even though there was that thin layer between them.

"Interesting," he mused.

Smirking, James Lone pulled a dagger from his pocket and drew the blade across the armor with force. The sound of scraping echoed sharply.

The armor remained unscathed!

With a sudden thrust, he stabbed the dagger into the armor.

Clang!

Still, the armor showed no signs of damage!

However, the tip of the dagger was dulled.

"Impressive!"

James Lone was pleasantly surprised. He retrieved a handgun and aimed it at the edge of the armor.

Bang!

The armor stood firm as ever.

Yet, James Lone could feel his energy depleting slightly.

"So this is how it absorbs damage..."

He then took out a sniper rifle and shot at the armor, which still held.

James Lone had confirmed the effectiveness of the armor; it was exceptionally durable. Summoning it didn't drain much energy at all—only when it was attacked. Due to the infusion of refined metal, the armor could also accept source energy infusions.

Once infused, when it was struck, it would automatically retaliate with explosive force!

Not only that, but when he threw a punch, the area on the armor where his fist made contact would also unleash explosive power!

Most importantly, with the incorporation of some refined metals, gravitational distortion could affect the entire armor.

James Lone realized he could soar through the skies while wearing the Will Armor, without relying on mechanical watches, wire belts, or metal shoes!

His spirits lifted immensely.

A 9-star ability was truly extraordinary!

Moreover, there was a delightful extra effect—Will +40.

His willpower had now reached a staggering 160, sixteen times that of an average adult!

Others attempting to attack him with will-type abilities should be completely immune!

After experimenting with the Will Armor for a bit, James Lone calmed down.

Whether it was that terrifying sea snake, the green eye in subspace, or the extraterrestrials lurking on the far side of the moon, he still felt unprepared to handle them.

He might not even be able to escape if he encountered them.

With newfound composure, James Lone continued gathering his infused steel spheres.

In the perilous age of the purple mist, only strength was eternal!

Having accumulated ten infused steel spheres, James Lone returned to the vehicle.

The convoy slowly set off again.

...

"Centipede!"

"Giant centipede!"

"Run!"

"Ah! Help! Someone save me!"

Dale's camp erupted into chaos.

She had been in a deep sleep, jolted awake by the frantic cries. Instantly alert, she jumped up and rushed outside.

What she saw sent her heart racing.

A massive centipede, as thick as a bathtub, was rampaging through the camp. Its length was impossible to gauge.

Dale could only catch a glimpse of its monstrous head; the rest was obscured by the purple mist.

The creature's enormous black pincers, each over two meters long and razor-sharp, glinted ominously. Its entire body was covered in a shiny black exoskeleton, gleaming as if made of metal.

This gigantic centipede was voraciously devouring one of its companions, who was pouring blood; the lower half of his body had already been consumed.

People were hurling kitchen knives, iron pipes, and stones at the creature, causing a cacophony of clanging against its armor, yet not inflicting any real damage.

With a quick flick of its head, the giant centipede swallowed the man whole and turned its attention to the others.

They were petrified, scattering in all directions.

Dale activated her ability instantly.

An illusion that looked just like her suddenly appeared and dashed past the giant centipede.

The centipede was immediately captivated, speeding off in pursuit of Dale's illusion.

The illusion moved with extraordinary agility, flitting through the forest like a falling leaf.

The giant centipede was frustrated, shrieking in anger as it failed to capture the illusion, gradually being led away.

Dale, focusing intently on controlling the illusion, yelled anxiously, "It's too fast! I can only stall it for three minutes! Everyone, hurry and evacuate!"

The centipede was hot on their heels.

Amid a flurry of chaos, everyone scrambled to gather food.

Dale was utterly consumed with controlling her illusion and was practically immobilized, freezing in place.

"Uncle Wong, get Mr. Xie out of here! Xiao Sun, bring the stretcher and help me carry Mr. Xie!"

A burly survivor rushed over with a makeshift stretcher, consisting of two wooden sticks with a piece of canvas tied between them.

The two worked nervously to lay Dale on the stretcher, then turned and sprinted away.

Two minutes ticked by, and Dale's face paled as the illusion dissipated under an assault from the giant centipede.

"Run! My illusion just broke!"

Panic spread among the group, their urgency escalating further.

Before long, they burst out of the dense woods and onto the escape route.

A horde of terrified survivors burst forth, startling everyone on the path who thought they were about to be robbed.

"Run! Run!"

"A monster is chasing us!"

A giant centipede quickly emerged from the trees, right behind the fleeing group.

Only a few closest to the woods caught a glimpse of its head.

Most only saw a segment of the shiny black centipede body race quickly through the purple mist.

"Holy crap!"

"The monster is here!"

"Help! Somebody save us!"

The survivors on the path were screaming, scrambling away in terror.

The giant centipede seemed to have zeroed in on Dale, relentless in its pursuit.

As it chased, its pincers scraped against each other, producing an ear-piercing metallic grinding noise.

Xiao Sun turned around and saw the giant centipede had caught up to three people behind them.

"Oh my God!"

He was so terrified that he trembled, suddenly dropping the stretcher and bolting for his life.

The stretcher plowed into the ground.

Dale tumbled off, landing painfully with a yelp.

"Ouch!"

Uncle Wong stumbled over the stretcher, falling headfirst and cursing, "Sun Lianhao! You bastard!"

Just then, they turned to see the giant centipede closing in, only two meters behind them.

Its head reared high, ready to attack.

"It's over!" Dale's face blanched as she shut her eyes.

However, to their shock, the giant centipede let out a horrified scream, as if it had sustained a serious injury.

Its head recoiled back into the purple mist, followed by a thunderous sound of metal colliding.

Boom!

Dale then heard the roar of an engine mixed with a chilling crunching sound.

In no time, a tank emerged slowly from the purple mist, passing just beside them.

The steel tracks were decorated with the remains and entrails of the giant centipede.

Red, yellow, green—there was a whole array of gruesome colors.

Dale stared, eyes wide.

"Did... did it get crushed?"

...

Lancy erupted with excitement, shouting, "That's right! Take that, you bastard!"

Just moments ago, she had accidentally run over the tail of the giant centipede while driving the tank, enraging the creature.

Unfortunately for the centipede, it wasn't a particularly strong mutated beast.

Its pincers were shattered against the tank's armor.

Then, with over ten tons of weight, the tank squished the giant centipede into a gruesome mess.

The entire process was effortless.

This experience was more exhilarating than any high-speed driving she had done before!

James Lone had noticed the centipede but recognized it posed no threat to the convoy, so he didn't raise any alarms.

He merely sat back in the passenger seat, casually observing a beautiful woman sitting on the roadside.

She was an ability user, her will bubble noticeably sturdier than that of an ordinary person.

James Lone activated his Mindlight ability.

Her ability seemed to be will-based, likely capable of creating illusions.

【Dale Morgan】 【Age: 29】 【Quality: 9 (mature and attractive, a strong woman)】 【Moral Character: 10 (innocent and untouched)】 【Overall Rating: 9】 【Ding! Meets system requirements!】

Among all the surviving people, he had finally encountered a woman who met the system's standards.

James Lone's interest piqued as he continued to scrutinize her.