Traversing the entire neighborhood: Surviving in the wasteland with a strange auntie

Upon hearing this, Su Nian and the group of aunties all looked in the direction Wen Yifan was pointing.

From the pile of ruins at the edge of the horizon, something was rapidly crawling towards them.

The thing was completely black, with sticky, oily skin, a human torso, and eight long, spider-like legs covered in barbs extending from its sides. It had no facial features...

A dense array of tiny, beady eyes were staring intently in their direction.

It is about half a person's height, moves extremely fast, and a strong, fishy stench wafts over on the wind, making people's stomachs churn.

"ah!!"

A scream shattered the silence, followed by cries and screams.

The women panicked and instinctively backed away, crowding together.

Even Wen Yifan, who had awakened an A-level combat specialization, turned pale with fright and trembled all over.

She had never seen such a bizarre and twisted creature in her life, and her composure vanished instantly.

Everyone hid behind Su Nian, clinging tightly to his clothes or arms, treating him as their only lifeline.

Su Nian took a deep breath, suppressing the discomfort in his stomach, and gripped the entrenching tool he had just retrieved from the rubble.

This was also the first time he had ever seen such a mutated creature, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid.

But he knew very well that he was the only young man there, surrounded by unarmed women, and he could not back down.

Just then, the monster suddenly changed direction, its eight legs kicked off, and it charged straight toward Qin Lan, who was closest to it.

Qin Lan had just been scouting supplies at the edge of the group, and was now less than five meters away from the monster.

She screamed in fright and turned to run, but her stiletto heels got stuck in a crack in the dry, cracked ground.

He crashed heavily to the ground, his ankle swelled up instantly, and the steel pipe in his hand rolled away.

She gritted her teeth and tried to get up, but as soon as she moved, the excruciating pain made her gasp.

The monster was incredibly fast, rushing towards her in the blink of an eye. Countless eyes on its face stared intently at her, emitting strange hissing sounds.

At the critical moment, Su Nian made a move.

He suddenly exerted force with his feet, and his whole body shot out like an arrow, taking only a few steps to reach Qin Lan.

He swung his entrenching tool in a wide arc, using all his strength to smash it down on the monster's head.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the entrenching tool slammed into the monster's head, instantly splattering sticky green liquid all over the ground.

The monster was slapped and sent flying half a meter away. It crashed to the ground, kicking its legs wildly and emitting a sharp screech.

Su Nian didn't give it any chance to fight back. He stepped forward and used the shovel to pin it firmly to the ground.

His physical abilities far surpassed those of ordinary people, so he effortlessly pinned down the small mutated creature.

No matter how much the monster struggled, it couldn't move.

"Aunt Liu! Come and lend a hand!"

"Don't just stand there, I can't handle this monster by myself."

"Just kill him without hesitation."

Su Nian called out towards the distance.

Liu Man, who exercises regularly, is a bit braver than others, and has already recovered her composure.

Compared to others.

Although she did not awaken any particularly powerful combat talents.

But now he's the only one who can step forward.

after all,

This thing is disgusting

However, their actual combat strength is not much stronger than that of an adult human.

"Okay, Su Nian, I'm here."

"Don't worry."

She picked up the steel pipe from the ground and ran over, and Su Nian gestured for her to finish her off.

Liu Man gritted her teeth and slammed the monster's head down several times.

"Die! Die! Die!"

Only after it completely stopped convulsing did I let go and lean against the cement block next to me, panting heavily.

The women around finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the monster was dead. Many of them collapsed to the ground, clutching their chests, still shaken.

Su Nian turned around, walked to Qin Lan's side, and reached out to help her up. "Aunt Qin, how are you?"

"Is everything alright?"

Qin Lan stood on one leg, her forehead beaded with cold sweat from the pain, yet she still looked at him gratefully:

"I'm fine, I just twisted my ankle... Su Nian, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, I would have..."

"Thank you so much..."

Her voice trembled with lingering fear, and her eyes were filled with sincere gratitude.

The despair she felt just now was given to her by Su Nian rushing over without hesitation, which gave her hope for life.

Just then, a cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Su Nian's mind:

[Detection indicates that survivor Qin Lan has developed strong gratitude and trust towards the host; her affection level has increased to 30%]

[The Affection System is now activated: Affection levels with each survivor reach 30%, 50%, 80%, 100%...]

The host will receive one basic, intermediate, advanced, and ultimate upgrade opportunity, which can be used to upgrade any item, talent, skill, or shelter.

[Congratulations, host, you have obtained your first basic upgrade opportunity x1]

Su Nian paused slightly, then instantly understood.

So this is the true trigger method for the "Divine Favor" talent.

It is nothing other than the heartfelt trust and recognition from others.

He suppressed his emotions and helped Qin Lan to sit down on a clean cement block. "Sit still for a moment, let me check your feet."

He did a quick check and, after confirming it was just a sprain and no fracture, breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's alright, just a soft tissue contusion. We'll just need to find something to immobilize it later."

The aunties around also gathered around, taking out tissues and band-aids from their bags and helping out in a flurry.

Looking at the monster's corpse on the ground, and then at Su Nian, everyone's eyes were filled with admiration and trust.

If it weren't for Su Nian, they probably would have really been defeated here today.

Wen Yifan walked over, her face filled with guilt:

"Su Nian, I'm sorry. I was too scared just now and couldn't help much. I clearly awakened my combat talent, but..."

"It's alright, Aunt Wen," Su Nian waved her hand gently. "Anyone would be scared the first time they see something like this. It's not your fault. You'll get used to it eventually. We have plenty of time."

Jiang Ruotong also walked over, looked at the monster's corpse from a distance, and frowned, saying:

"This thing's bodily fluids are highly corrosive and extremely poisonous, so everyone should stay away from it. Also, the fighting just now was so loud that it may have attracted other mutated creatures nearby."

Su Nian nodded and looked up at the increasingly dark sky.

With less than two and a half hours until dark, they not only failed to set up their shelter, but now even their place of residence was no longer safe.

"Everyone pack your things, we're moving immediately."

Su Nian's tone became serious.

"We can't stay here any longer. Let's head towards that abandoned factory area ahead; there should be shelters that can be converted there."

Everyone agreed and immediately got to work.

Two women helped Qin Lan, while the others carried the found supplies, following behind Su Nian.

They walked cautiously toward the factory ruins in the distance.

Su Nian walked at the front of the group, gripping his entrenching tool tightly, while vigilantly observing his surroundings.

He silently repeated the system notification in his mind.

Where should I use my first upgrade opportunity?