C14 Dark Iron Tenth Rank

Struggling with his left hand, Lin Yuan fished out the cloth bag given to him by the Goblin General from his chest. He rummaged through it and pulled out a white demutation nut, popping it into his mouth without a second thought.

Within a minute or two of consuming the fruit, his injuries began to heal rapidly.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Lin Yuan used his left hand to realign his broken arm bone. Ten minutes later, the bone had knitted back together, and the wounds on his skin had fully healed.

"The demutation nut lives up to its reputation—its healing power is astonishing," Lin Yuan murmured to himself. Superpowered individuals fear bone injuries more than flesh wounds.

A broken bone or tendon could severely hinder movement and combat effectiveness, sometimes equating to a death sentence.

Resting against the trunk of a tree, Lin Yuan began to reassess his recent actions.

Back at the school, the Goblin General had clearly gone easy on him. Otherwise, with his level, he could have easily dispatched Lin Yuan as if it were child's play.

Even in his past life as a Bronze Superpowered, Lin Yuan was no match for the Goblin General.

After all, in his previous life, Lin Yuan was only a semi-combatant, primarily involved in logistics.

The same was true for the Goblin army. Just a couple of commanders with three thousand troops each, and he'd be done for.

And the encounter with the Ox Monster? He was so rash that he nearly took to the skies. Reflecting on it now made his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

He had definitely gotten carried away!

His rebirth had led him to believe he could look down upon the world, feeling superior to all. Yet, he had almost been taken out by the Ox Monster he deemed foolish—a truly humbling experience.

Ripping off the bandage from his shoulder, Lin Yuan gave himself a firm punch on the forehead.

It was time to settle down, to approach this world as a newcomer, to consider his strengths and weaknesses with a clear mind and self-awareness.

Lin Yuan brooded with a furrowed brow. His advantages were clear: a foundational knowledge of the new world and a level above most monsters. But his greatest weakness was his solitude.

Facing a horde of monsters, a bit of coordination on their part could put him at a severe disadvantage. How, then, could he turn the tide in his favor?

As he mulled things over, Lin Yuan secured the cloth bag and tucked it back into his pocket. He peeled back his armor and outer coat, and his eyes sparkled at the sight of the short-sleeved shirt underneath. It bore the emblem of the base brothers—two soldiers standing with guns. That's it! The world was freshly merged, and the artifacts of technological civilization hadn't undergone significant changes yet. This was humanity's greatest edge!

Energized by the realization, Lin Yuan sprang to his feet. He recalled a police center on the western side of the ticket office. When he had passed by before, he had spotted a patrol officer collecting firearms there. He had to make his way back under the cover of night. If he could get his hands on a gun, that would be a game-changer!

Weaponless, Lin Yuan snapped off a small tree branch to serve as a makeshift weapon, stripping it of twigs until it was a decent size.

Using the darkness to his advantage, Lin Yuan circled back to the ticket office in a wide arc. From a distance, he observed that the Ox Monsters weren't sleeping; they huddled around the bonfire, with more than a dozen patrolling the perimeter.

After some thought, Lin Yuan found a quiet corner and ascended to the rooftop by the light of the moon. He gently opened the maintenance hatch and slipped into the building unnoticed.

Inside, the building was spotless, with no litter or signs of damage. Lin Yuan found this odd—it seemed the ticket office doubled as a small sanctuary. But where had all the people gone? Since his arrival in the afternoon, he had neither encountered any survivors nor stumbled upon any bodies or bloodstains. It was all very peculiar.

But he couldn't dwell on the mystery. His priority was to arm himself, to find a weapon that would make him stronger!

Guided by memory, Lin Yuan stealthily made his way to the western side of the ticket office's second floor. A golden plaque gleamed in the moonlight from a distance. As he approached, he confirmed it was indeed the police center.

He had found the right place!

With a surge of excitement, Lin Yuan pushed against the metal door, which swung open with a creak. What was this? He stepped inside, his curiosity piqued. The floor was strewn with scattered papers and objects, and beside an overturned table lay two police helmets.

There wasn't a single drop of blood on the ground, suggesting that the people had made a hasty exit.

Odd. With forests all around, how did everyone manage to evacuate?

Lin Yuan pondered briefly but stuck to his principle: if it didn't make sense, he wouldn't dwell on it. Time to focus on his own tasks.

Deep within the police station, he came across a smaller metal door. Beside it hung a white sign, painted in red with the words "03 Armory."

He had located the spot, but the door was ajar, hinting at slim prospects.

With a furrowed brow, Lin Yuan stepped inside. The black equipment rack was barren. Undeterred, he rifled through the adjacent cabinets, turning over seven or eight of them to find nothing but a heap of worthless odds and ends.

"Damn it, this is just my luck!" he cursed.

After demolishing a rusty helmet with a punch, Lin Yuan spun on his heel to leave. But after a few steps, he couldn't resist the urge to return and keep searching.

Fortune favors the persistent. After half an hour of rummaging, he struck gold.

Atop a filing cabinet, Lin Yuan discovered a black case. Inside was a rifle, complete with five thirty-round magazines!

Overjoyed, Lin Yuan could barely contain his excitement. He then specifically targeted the tops of cabinets, where he unearthed a briefcase containing not just a Black Star pistol and a box of bullets, but also six tear gas grenades and a sharp combat knife.

Despite knowing he should stay silent, Lin Yuan let out a triumphant laugh. The combination of tear gas and firearms was a surefire recipe for destruction.

He silently thanked his school for the military training that had taught him the basics of gun handling, and the hurriedly evacuating police officers whose negligence had inadvertently supplied him with these treasures.

After finding a functional gas mask in the box, Lin Yuan made his way to the rooftop. He grabbed two tear gas grenades, pulled the pins, and lobbed them into the throng of Ox Monsters.

"Moo?"

One grenade landed squarely on an Ox Monster's head. It looked up, bewildered, clutching the grenade, utterly confused about where this strange object had come from.

"Boom! Boom!"

Following the twin blasts, a thick white fog rapidly enveloped the area. The Ox Monsters were thrown into chaos, their moos echoing in a cacophony.

Now was the moment to strike!

"Ratatatata!"

Lin Yuan charged downstairs, unleashing a barrage of gunfire. Several Ox Monsters collapsed into pools of blood, yet no black mist emerged.

"Just like the myths—no experience gained from gunning down monsters!"

Lin Yuan shook his head in disappointment, lobbed a couple more tear gas grenades, and swiftly scaled down the drainpipe.

Blinded and bellowing, the Ox Monsters flailed as Lin Yuan's dagger made quick work of them, slicing through necks and plunging into hearts, claiming life after life with ease.

On the periphery, seven or eight Ox Monsters hopped in desperation, but the tear gas barrier left them impotently staring on.

As the black mist coalesced into his body, Lin Yuan felt his muscles jolt. He had ascended to Tenth Rank!