Luo Hou's "home" stood on the eastern edge of the settlement—a chaotic cluster of dilapidated, low-built houses. Most were crude brick-and-tile dwellings, while a few were nothing more than thatched huts cobbled together from wood. The area exuded a sense of desolation and ruin.
This was, unmistakably, the slums of the settlement. And nestled within it was Luo Hou's humble abode: a stone hut with a thatched roof, just enough to shield him from the wind and rain. The interior was spartan—a rickety wooden bed and a battered table. Nothing more.
Night had already fallen. Residents of the slums lit their oil lamps one by one, gathering in small groups on the open ground outside their homes, chatting idly to pass the time. Since the advent of the New World, nearly all technological devices had ceased to function. Power was cut, and mobile phones had long become nothing but a dead weight.
In the entire settlement, only the Administrative Council's building and the home of its chairman, Cheng Qiyi, possessed diesel generators. Everyone else relied solely on oil lamps for illumination. Even lamp oil was a precious resource, no longer refined kerosene but resin painstakingly collected by survivors from the surrounding pine forests.
The arrival of the New World had not only triggered drastic mutations in humans and beasts—but plants too had undergone astonishing changes. Bathed in the power of Heaven and Earth, wild flora experienced a frenzied growth. Towering ancient trees with trunks several meters thick and heights rivaling ten-story buildings now dominated the forests. Some areas had transformed into near-primordial jungles.
Pine trees, already rich in resin, exhibited even more dramatic mutations. A single scrape of bark with a knife could yield a fist-sized lump of resin within minutes—once refined, it served as excellent lamp oil.
As Luo Hou returned, the slum dwellers greeted him with forced smiles. Yet once he passed, many of them sneered behind his back. He was well aware of their scorn but paid them no mind. Among them were even first-tier Evolvers—lazy and indulgent by nature, content to live day by day without ambition. He had no intention of stooping to their level.
"Uncle Luo Hou! You're back! Have you eaten? Mom made corn porridge today—she saved a bowl just for you!"
A chubby-cheeked boy, no older than six or seven, came bounding out of a shabby stone hut, tugging playfully at Luo Hou's sleeve with a beaming grin.
"Thank you, Xiaobiao. Uncle already had dinner," Luo Hou said with a gentle smile, ruffling the boy's hair. "Tell me—have you been a good boy today? Did you listen to your mom?"
Xiaobiao nodded eagerly, like a pecking chick. "Of course! I'm the best listener!"
"Good boy. Here, look what I brought you," Luo Hou said, handing him a half-wrapped portion of roasted mole meat.
Xiaobiao sniffed excitedly before tearing open the paper. "Wow! Meat! Thank you, Uncle Luo Hou! You're the best!"
Just then, a woman in her early thirties emerged from the house. Her face was pale, her figure thin—it was Xiaobiao's mother, Li Rong. Upon seeing the meat in her son's hands, her tired face softened into a grateful smile.
"Xiao Luo, you're back. Come in—we saved you some porridge."
Luo Hou shook his head. "Thank you, Sister Li Rong, but I've already eaten. And please, don't save food for me anymore. Xiaobiao's still growing, and your body is already weak—you both need every bit of nourishment you can get."
In the entire settlement, those who genuinely cared for Luo Hou could be counted on one hand. Li Rong and her son were among them. Formerly, villagers of the area before it became a refuge, they had taken Luo Hou under their wing after the New World began. Though Li Rong was not an Evolver and had to raise her son alone, she owned a patch of barren farmland where she managed to grow corn and other drought-resistant crops, just enough to scrape by.
Thinking of how this woman, slightly older than him, had looked after him for a whole year stirred something warm in Luo Hou's heart. In this unfamiliar place where he had no relatives, he had come to see Li Rong as his own sister.
To ease her worries, Luo Hou decided it was time to share his secret.
"Sister Li Rong, I have some good news—I can finally sense the flow of elemental energy in the world. It won't be long before I become an Evolver. Once that happens, we'll never have to worry about food again."
"Really?" Li Rong's eyes lit up with hope. If what Luo Hou said was true, then perhaps life was finally about to turn for the better. "That's wonderful news! Once you become an Evolver, it'll be much safer for you to hunt zombies and beasts outside."
Xiaobiao, overhearing their conversation, might not have understood everything, but he caught the key phrase: "become an Evolver." He immediately started jumping around with excitement.
"That's amazing! Uncle Luo Hou is finally going to be an Evolver! That means we'll get to eat even more meat! Haha! I'm so happy!" Though still young, Xiaobiao knew that Evolvers were incredibly powerful people.
"You little glutton," Li Rong said affectionately, patting his head.
Luo Hou chuckled and tousled the boy's hair. Then he turned to Li Rong.
"It's getting late, Sister Li Rong. I should head back and get some rest. You two should turn in early as well."
"Alright, good night, Xiao Luo. Xiaobiao, say goodbye to Uncle Luo Hou."
...
Back at home, Luo Hou lit the oil lamp and entered his so-called bathroom—nothing more than a few wooden planks with plastic sheeting nailed over them. He turned on the faucet and rinsed off. For this, he owed thanks to the original villagers of the settlement. Their village sat higher than the rest of the area, and before the world changed, they had pooled money to install a gravity-fed water system from a nearby spring.
After drying off, Luo Hou sat on his crude wooden bed, covered only by a tattered sheet. He began sorting through everything that had happened that day.
All of it traced back to the ring on his left pinky—the Spiritmaster Ring. Two things stood out:
First, the ring had transformed his body after he was infected with the zombie virus, allowing him to sense the presence of elemental energy. What thrilled Luo Hou even more was the faint sensation that his body could now passively absorb ambient elemental energy—a subtle, almost imperceptible process.
What did that mean?
Normally, sensing elemental energy and absorbing it were two separate milestones—some took days, others took months. It all depended on talent. Luo Hou had heard that Cheng Qiyi, the Council Chairman, had become a first-tier Evolver just a month after the New World began. In less than a year, he had already reached tier three.
Second, the ring itself. Even if it never developed any additional functions, the fact that it could control zombies and beasts was already heaven-defying. With this, Luo Hou believed it was only a matter of time before he carved out his place among the future elites of the New World.
Having clarified his thoughts, Luo Hou sat cross-legged, drawing out a white elemental crystal and cupping it between his palms. He concentrated on the crystal, rich with elemental energy dozens of times denser than the surrounding air, and attempted to guide it into his body.
At first, he failed to find the right method. But he remained calm, gradually clearing his mind. Soon, a cool, gentle stream of energy began to seep from the crystal, flowing through his palms and into his body. It coursed through his limbs and torso before dissolving into his blood and flesh.
The wave of soothing energy left him trembling with bliss.
As the night deepened, Luo Hou continued cultivating until his body could no longer absorb more energy. At last, he stopped and glanced at the crystal in his hand. Its once-bright luster had visibly dimmed—nearly one-third of its energy absorbed.
With a triumphant grin, Luo Hou clenched his fist.
Tonight, he was wide awake, ignited by power, and destined for change.