Chapter 258: Chapter 248: New Map

Tang Mo’s next destination was Hulan City. She had heard its name back when she was at S Base.

Hulan City was located on the grasslands. Its native inhabitants were known for being strong, fierce, and forthright. They established Hulan Base right at the start of the apocalypse and quickly seized the initiative.

Due to its environment and geographical location, Hulan City wasn’t really under the control of S Base. It was, for all intents and purposes, a fairly independent and well-established base.

In truth, while a central command theoretically existed after the apocalypse, the complete paralysis of transportation granted many local bases a great deal of freedom.

Tang Mo had walked all the way from Donglin City. Unlike Huaxi City, the fishing village certainly didn’t have the resources to give her a ride for part of the journey.

However, with her spiritual power augmenting her legs, Tang Mo didn’t find the journey arduous, and she traveled at a remarkable pace.

She was now certain that the pearls had already appeared, hidden in the corners of the world, just waiting to be claimed. That was why Tang Mo didn’t want to waste a single moment.

Along the way, she had discovered that the mutant beasts had grown even stronger.

Tang Mo continuously used her spiritual power, trying to come up with new applications for it, all while pondering how to completely merge the Life Energy Pearl in her mind with her own being.

Before she knew it, Tang Mo had reached the grasslands of Hulan City.

The grasslands had always been vast, but now, they seemed utterly desolate.

Tang Mo scanned the horizon but couldn’t see a single person, nor any flocks of sheep.

But the grass was as vibrant and green as ever, and the sky remained a deep, endless blue, untouched by time or circumstance.

Tang Mo slowed her pace. She knew Hulan Base was located somewhere within these grasslands.

But as Tang Mo looked at the empty landscape, she wondered, ’Is this place like the little fishing village, untouched by mutant beasts? A kind of paradise?’

’But I’d heard that the people of Hulan Base were all fierce and skilled warriors.’

However, it wasn’t long before Tang Mo heard the roar of a massive beast in the distance.

Tang Mo quickly headed toward the sound and found herself observing a battle on the grasslands.

A large black bear, over two meters tall, was surrounded by five or six strong, burly men dressed in nomadic attire.

Each man held a weapon resembling a long spear. They encircled the bear, thrusting their weapons at it.

The bear’s body was already covered in wounds, dripping with fresh blood, and it had been driven into a frenzy.

But whenever it charged at one man, he would rapidly retreat while the others swarmed in, aiming their spears at the bear’s eyes and lower body.

Their strategy was obvious, and they clearly knew the bear’s weak points.

Tang Mo didn’t rush forward, choosing instead to carefully observe the battle.

Though the men’s weapons were simple, each attack managed to pierce the bear’s incredibly tough hide and leave a wound.

’That’s definitely not something an ordinary person could do. Their Strength Attributes must be extremely high.’

’Hulan City’s combat prowess really lives up to its reputation. Each of these brawny men looks like a perfect fighting machine.’

’And their encirclement is flawless, perfectly predicting the bear’s next move...’

’It looks like they’re old rivals.’

Just as Tang Mo was assessing the difference in individual strength between the two sides, the bear crashed to the ground.

The men used ropes they had prepared beforehand to bind the bear securely, then five of them hoisted it up and started to walk away.

"Hello, excuse me. Are you from Hulan Base?"

Seeing that the men had finished their battle and were about to leave, Tang Mo stepped out from her hiding spot.

"Well, look what we have here. A broad."

The burly men exchanged glances, their faces breaking into lewd grins.

A wave of disgust washed over Tang Mo. Her first impression of Hulan Base was already souring.

’A place that doesn’t respect women probably isn’t what you’d call a civilized or progressive place.’

However, the pattern’s location was indicated to be on these grasslands, so Tang Mo had no choice but to patiently investigate the base.

"I got lost on the grasslands. I was wondering if I could rest for a bit at Hulan Base?"

Tang Mo had just arrived. She was in an unfamiliar place and didn’t know the rules. To ensure she could enter the base smoothly, she couldn’t afford to make a move against these men just yet.

"You want to enter Hulan Base? You’d better give up on that idea and head back to your high-rise buildings."

The men roared with laughter.

"And why is that?" Tang Mo asked, her patience wearing thin.

"There’s a rule for getting into Hulan Base. You have to pick anyone from the base and beat them. If you can do that, you’re in. What do you say? Think you’re up for it?"

The man raised an eyebrow at Tang Mo.

Their Hulan Base had always valued freedom, but there was one supreme rule: might makes right.

As long as you were strong enough, you could get away with murder and arson inside the base. No one would stop you.

"I can."

’Just defeat one person? To be honest, that entry requirement isn’t too harsh.’

Tang Mo had just watched these men’s performance while hunting. ’Aside from their exceptional Strength Attribute, there was nothing particularly special about them.’

’Besides, a base has so many people. I just need to defeat one of them.’

After all, with her Spirit Attribute, Tang Mo had already developed numerous methods of attack.

’Forget fighting one person. Even taking on a whole group at once wouldn’t be a problem, given her current spiritual power reserves.’

"Alright, alright. Then come with us."

Seeing Tang Mo’s nonchalant attitude, the men all thought she was hopelessly overconfident.

Everyone in Hulan Base had been through countless battles and challenges. Any one of them, even a child, could probably beat this scrawny woman to a pulp.

’No idea where she gets her confidence from,’ they thought. ’She’s one of those who has to learn things the hard way.’

And so, Tang Mo leisurely led Jingjing along, following the men toward the base.

Although Hulan Base was on the grasslands, its location was quite remote. It wasn’t in the center but on the far western edge.

The journey with these men was by no means short.

Along the way, she listened to the men talk. They seemed to mention a forest on the far eastern side, which was supposedly the bears’ home territory.

Yet, by the time they reached the gates of the base, Tang Mo hadn’t seen a single other mutant beast.

’Could it be that the only mutant beasts here are the bears from that forest?’ A dreadful thought occurred to Tang Mo.

Even before the apocalypse, bears were ferocious and terrifying animals.

And that was before they became mutant beasts in the apocalypse. For Hulan City to face such a terrifying threat and still earn a reputation for being fierce warriors... they were clearly a force to be reckoned with.

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