Wot suddenly turned, declaring, "My granddaughter loves luncheon meat; let me have 100 cans."

Selim was taken aback, then quickly grinned. "Sir, how generous!"

The other survivors looked on, astonished. In these times, who had the luxury to care about what they liked to eat? Just being able to fill their stomachs was already a win.

"Alright, boys, shall we head out?" Selim asked.

A chorus of agreement echoed, "Sure!"

Each buyer was accompanied by a few companions, sometimes even a group of ten, to protect against being robbed by others. Nearly 200 people followed Selim into the depths of the woods.

Wot successfully drew everyone's attention to himself, leaving James Lone unnoticed.

James Lone, however, kept a close watch on the green-haired thug.

The thug broke away from Selim's group, darting toward another direction.

...

Excitedly, the green-haired thug found his waiting allies hidden within the dense foliage. "Giacomo! Giacomo!"

Giacomo, devouring a roasted chicken, spit out some bones and asked, "Peyton, what's up?"

Peyton swallowed hard at the delicious scent and replied, "Selim sealed the deal! That old man is going with him to the warehouse!"

"Great! Hahaha!" Giacomo thumped his thigh, wiping his greasy hands on his clothing.

He tossed the remnants of his half-eaten chicken at Peyton. "You did well; that's your reward!"

Peyton exclaimed in delight, "Thank you, Giacomo! Are we heading to ambush the convoy now?"

Giacomo smirked. "Not yet! The convoy has a tank; we can't handle that. Plus, we don't know the situation inside the trucks or how many soldiers are there, so we can't make a move! We need to control the old man first. As long as he doesn't return, the people in the convoy will panic and send someone out to look for him. Then, we can keep an eye on them and catch them easily! It's far easier to ambush them outside the vehicles than in!"

Peyton looked impressed. "Giacomo, you really know how to strategize! Do you think the 910 troops won't notice us?"

Giacomo replied with a cold laugh, "If we strike the convoy, the commotion will surely attract attention from other survivors. Then we'd be at risk. But if they just vanish quietly, how would they know where to look? In this chaos, who knows if they've been eaten by some wild beasts?"

"Ha! The boss is truly great!"

"No doubt about it, Giacomo!"

"Let's hurry back and grab that old man! He must have a gun with him—that's good stuff!"

Giacomo reveled in the flattery. "Alright! Let's move out! Peyton, you take five of the brothers and watch near the convoy. If anyone exits, capture them. If you can't, send word back to me! I'll take care of that old man and those fools, and I'll return quickly. With those fools in our hands, I can unearth even more of those divine fruits! This time, I'll share ten with the brothers!"

"Long live Giacomo!" The crowd cheered excitedly.

With that, Giacomo led the group toward the warehouse.

...

James Lone withdrew his gaze.

What on earth were these divine fruits?

Since they weren't planning to act right now, he could afford to be patient. He'd deal with Giacomo and his crew first.

As for the green-haired thug Peyton and the five men in his group who hoped to capture his women? Utterly ridiculous.

They couldn't fathom what they were up against!

Delicate beauties?

Wrong!

What awaited them were over a dozen armed ability users and two powerful mutated beasts!

Even if the women refused to fight, the husky and the white fox could easily obliterate Giacomo and his gang.

James Lone observed as other small merchants gradually began to pack up and made ready to leave, suggesting that everything was a setup to lure the other 200 survivors to their turf.

What exactly were they plotting?

Peyton and his group trekked over a hundred meters into the woods until they reached an abandoned factory.

"This way, guys! This is the warehouse!"

The other survivors felt a mix of excitement and anxiety, wary of a potential trap.

However, with over 200 people, they doubted the enemy would be that reckless.

James Lone noted that the purple mist thickened in this spot more than elsewhere.

Visibility dropped to about three to four meters.

The flora here appeared much denser and taller than in other places.

Even the bushes, typically about the size of a bowl, were now as thick as barrels.

The scale of mutation here seemed significantly more pronounced!

Wot murmured nervously, "Mr. Lone, something feels off about this place."

James Lone replied softly, "If things take a turn for the worse, find a place to hide; prioritize protecting yourself, don't worry about me."

Wot took a deep breath. "Understood."

The others began to sense the abnormality as well, cautiously scanning their surroundings.

James Lone's perception and Mind's Light functioned at full capacity.

He observed that the purple mist thickened even more around the factory behind the warehouse, and the plants loomed larger.

Notably, near the edge of his perception, beside a substation, the mist seemed nearly tangible!

Just nearby was a low building where several women were chained by the neck to a radiator, among them a female ability user.

Near the building lay a deep pit piled high with human corpses, easily numbering in the thousands!

What kind of place is this?!!

James Lone felt a mix of shock and curiosity.

The group walked into the warehouse.

Inside, the dark space flickered with the dim glow of torches, barely illuminating the area, and the purple mist was slightly thinner, allowing everyone to see their surroundings.

The warehouse was cluttered with gas barrels, intoxicating the air with a strong gasoline scent.

Selim stood amidst a group of muscular men, grinning wickedly at the crowd.

Realizing something was wrong, one survivor shouted, "Boss, where are the cans?"

Selim laughed maniacally. "Cans? What cans?"

With a swift gesture, he hurled several cans to the ground.

To everyone's horror, the cans shattered grotesquely, disintegrating like sculpted plaster into fine white dust.

There was no trace of genuine canned goods!

The survivors were left dumbfounded.

James Lone suddenly realized, "So this guy's ability is to simulate and falsify items."

A few individuals began to panic, instinctively turning to flee.

Halfway out, they suddenly ignited in flames, screaming in terror as they collapsed, thrashing on the ground.

Even more unsettling, the fire didn't leap to the gasoline barrels; it seemed to zero in solely on them, scorching only their bodies and nothing else.

Before long, they were reduced to charred remains, completely still.

At that moment, a group of muscle-bound men surrounded the warehouse entrance.

The leader among them stood out; his eyes burned with flames, distorting the air around him and obscuring his features!

Only James Lone discerned who he was; it was the earlier-mentioned Giacomo.

With a snap of his fingers, a spark landed near the floor.

In an instant, the ground erupted into a raging inferno.

The flames welcomely fell under Giacomo's command, forming a massive ring of fire that encircled all the survivors without spreading beyond its confines.

The crowd gasped in shock.

In frantic fear, everyone scrambled toward the center, desperate to avoid the flames.

Giacomo strode boldly through the fire, the flames parting to make way for him before closing again behind him.