James Lone gazed cautiously at the liquid energy source, attempting to engage his breathing technique. An unfathomable surge of energy flowed into his body. To his astonishment, he soon noticed that the Tree of All Laws had begun to grow once more!

Though the progress was slow, it was definitely happening.

"So that's it—the concentration of gaseous energy wasn't enough!"

A lightbulb went off in James's mind. The liquid energy source was highly concentrated; within just a few seconds, he could feel his energy reserves filling up completely. This was a training paradise!

Overjoyed, James immediately took out a steel ball. Energy infusion! He poured his energy out, cleared it completely, and then engaged his breathing technique again. Once more, he infused energy into himself.

As the energy repeatedly filled and released within him, the Tree of All Laws steadily grew taller.

An hour later, an indescribable fatigue washed over James; he knew he had reached his limits for today. He had to stop.

"My energy capacity has increased by about 15%!" he thought with satisfaction as he reached into the red liquid and retrieved the flesh-and-blood gemstone.

"Wait, has the gemstone changed?"

The flesh-and-blood gemstone was noticeably redder than before. James wasn't sure if this was a good or bad sign, so he carefully stored the gemstone in his personal space. This was currently his only tool to enhance the Tree of All Laws; he couldn't afford to lose it.

The red liquid below showed no signs of diminishing, flowing endlessly.

"No need to take unnecessary risks," James decided resolutely.

After pondering for a moment, he placed a spatial anchor on the ground. With this anchor, as long as that green giant eye left the subspace, he could return to train anytime he wished.

James quickly opened a teleportation portal, then frustratedly closed it.

"Damn it! That green giant eye is still there."

With no choice, James exited the cave and headed back to the surface, activating his ethereal form and sprinting at full speed.

With the boost from his 200+ physical prowess, he returned to the escape route in just a minute.

As he spotted survivors within 200 meters, James slowed down, walking casually back to the convoy just like any ordinary survivor.

Upon rejoining the convoy, he noticed that Eddy Lone was leading a group of people gathered around. To his surprise, the green-haired punks had been captured!

The green-haired punks lay on the ground, bound by ropes, covered in mud, looking utterly miserable.

Byakugan lay next to them, curiously watching; the green-haired punks were on the verge of wetting themselves.

When the women saw James return, their tension eased, and they greeted him cheerfully: "Master! Master!"

"These guys were peeping around the vehicles!"

"He tried to run, and we caught him!"

James smiled and nodded, "Well done."

He could easily guess how the green-haired punks had been caught. They were too close.

The average person's visibility in the purple mist was only five meters, and Shirley Inron's sensing distance was also five meters!

To monitor the convoy, the green-haired punks had to be exceptionally close. As long as Shirley moved inside the vehicle, she could effortlessly spot the group glowing with red light.

The rest was simple: guns, abilities, mutated animals. None of those threats were anything the punk gang could handle.

Realizing Wot was there, the green-haired punk shouted out frantically, "Big Brother, it's a misunderstanding! I was just passing by!"

James ignored him and turned to Eddy Lone.

Eddy rushed forward, eager to make amends. "Mr. Lone, I heard they were causing trouble for your ladies, so I rushed over to help. I may have acted a bit rashly."

Sofie chimed in, "Master, this is Captain Eddy Lone from the media base; he's a decent guy."

Both of them came from the media base and recognized each other, so James nodded at Eddy, then turned to Shirley.

"Get ten packs of sausages for Eddy Lone."

Eddy's face lit up with joy. "Thank you, Mr. Lone! Thank you so much!"

Ecstatic, he left the group.

Wot then whispered, "Mr. Lone, that green-haired punk was right next to the vendor selling fake canned goods. I remember his bright yellow hair; it stood out!"

The green-haired punk's heart sank. Damn it! If only he hadn't dyed his hair green!

How could they know the canned goods were fake? It was over!

The green-haired punk had recognized Wot long ago and had hoped to get away with it, hanging onto a shred of hope. But now, with the fake canned goods exposed, he felt his legs turn to jelly, the smell of urine wafting into the air.

James Lone coldly stated, "Wot, kill them all."

With that, he turned and climbed into the vehicle.

The women watched Wot.

Wot hesitated briefly, then produced a knife and walked toward the green-haired punk.

The punk let out a terrified scream, tears and snot streaming down his face. "Sir! Sir! Don't kill me! I surrender... ah!"

Amid a series of blood-curdling cries, silence returned.

The nearby survivors heard the screams and merely distanced themselves from the convoy, burying their heads and continuing on their way. No one was willing to check what had happened.

Before long, the convoy set off again, leaving a few bodies behind.

A swarm of survivors quickly descended upon the remains, stripping them clean before dragging the corpses into the dense forest. From that point onward, no one would ever know what happened to the green-haired punks and their accomplices.

...

James Lone sat in the vehicle, studying the map on his phone.

"There are only seven kilometers left to Saint Martin Town; we can reach it by noon today."

The women worriedly asked, "Are we going to Saint Martin Town?"

James stowed his phone away and shook his head. "No, you all stand out too much. There's no need to invite trouble. We'll head directly to Holiday, to the shelter Lancy mentioned."

Lancy nodded eagerly. "Don't worry, Master. Once you bring me to Holiday, I'll be able to locate Chen Chengzhi's villa."

James smiled at that.

As long as they reached Holiday, he could scan the location of the shelter with his sensing abilities. However, there was no need to explain this to Lancy.

Out of caution, he never showcased too many abilities in front of the women, nor did he clarify the effects of his powers. Up till now, the women could only guess that he had some long-range observation abilities but had no idea how far they extended.

James produced a mutated peanut and handed it to Dale. "Eat this."

Dale accepted the peanut, bewildered. "This peanut smells amazing."

She couldn't understand why James Lone suddenly asked her to eat a peanut.

James provided no explanation.

Dale didn't dare to question further, unaware that she had become a test subject; she simply began to break open the shell of the peanut.

Two peanuts emerged.

The skin of the peanuts glistened in a bright pink hue, while the peanuts themselves appeared as flawlessly white and smooth as sheep fat jade, exuding an enticing aroma.

The women gasped in astonishment. "Wow! What beautiful peanuts!"

Is this really a peanut? Dale wondered, but her instincts compelled her to gobble them down immediately.

"They taste amazing!" Dale exclaimed, her bright eyes lighting up, and she felt rejuvenated. "I feel so good all over!"

【Ding! Dale consumed 1 piece of the primary strengthening plant—a perfectly mutated peanut, returning 1600 pieces! It has been stored in the personal space.】