After the ice storm subsided, Su Yao and Ling Yu quickened their pace towards the survivor rendezvous point. Along the way, they passed through a once-prosperous town now buried under ice and snow. Most of the town's buildings had collapsed, with only some ruins shivering in the cold wind.
Su Yao's system suddenly issued a notification: there was an area with unusually strong energy fluctuations beneath the town, potentially containing a large amount of resources. They searched for an entrance within the town and eventually discovered a passage leading underground beneath the ruins of a church.
The passageway was dark and damp, filled with a putrid stench. Withered vines hung on the walls, seemingly whispering tales of a place that had once been teeming with life. They proceeded cautiously downwards, when suddenly they heard a low, guttural roar.
Ling Yu led the way, using his ice-based abilities to conjure a luminous ball and shine it forward. A swarm of mutated rats covered in ice crystal spikes surged toward them. These rats had eerie red eyes and were several times larger than ordinary rats.
Su Yao swiftly unleashed spatial wind blades, which sliced at the swarm of rats like sharp scythes. However, the mutated rats' hides were extremely tough, and the wind blades could only leave shallow scratches on them. The rats continued their frenzied attack, while Ling Yu created an array of ice spikes in front of them, attempting to halt their advance.
Some rats were pierced by ice spikes, but more crawled over the corpses of their companions and continued their attack. Su Yao noticed that these rats seemed very sensitive to sound and vibration, and she came up with a plan.
She used her spatial abilities to gather some pebbles from the surrounding area and then threw them all at once in a direction far away from them. The sound of the pebbles hitting the ground attracted the mice's attention, and they all ran towards the source of the sound.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Su Yao and Ling Yu continued deeper into the passage. At the end of the passage, they discovered a massive stone door, covered in ancient runes. Su Yao's system began analyzing these runes, and after some effort, they found a way to open the stone door.
They opened the stone door, revealing a huge basement filled with all sorts of boxes and shelves. Su Yao excitedly scanned the area with her system and discovered many valuable resources, including rare metals, high-grade energy crystals, and some special tools.
Just as they were preparing to gather supplies, a huge crystal pillar in the center of the basement began to glow. A phantom figure appeared within the light—an ancient guardian.
The guardian spoke in a deep voice: "Intruders, you cannot take anything from here. These supplies are preserved for post-apocalyptic reconstruction."
Su Yao stepped forward and said, "This is the end of the world. People need these supplies to survive and fight against the disaster."
The guardian seemed to think for a moment, then said, "If you can pass my test, you can take these supplies. The test is to defeat me."
Having said that, the guardian launched an attack on them. Its body could freely move between reality and illusion, rendering ordinary attacks ineffective. Su Yao and Ling Yu began to fight back against the guardian.
Su Yao activated her spatial abilities, attempting to trap the Guardian, but the Guardian easily broke free of the spatial constraints. Ling Yu used his ice-based abilities to create a giant ice hammer, which he hurled at the Guardian, but the hammer pierced through its body and crashed to the ground. During the battle, Su Yao noticed that after each attack, the Guardian's energy fluctuations would briefly pause at the moment it materialized. She shared this discovery with Ling Yu.
They waited for their opportunity, and when the Guardian attacked again, Su Yao and Ling Yu simultaneously launched their strongest attacks. Su Yao fused her spatial and fire abilities to create a powerful attack wave, while Ling Yu used his ice spear, imbued with all his power, to stab at the Guardian's energy fluctuations, which had stalled.
This time, their attack successfully struck the guardian, who let out a scream and gradually dissipated. With the guardian's disappearance, the supplies in the basement were completely unrestricted.
Su Yao and Ling Yu quickly gathered supplies and put them into their spatial storage. After leaving the basement, they continued towards the survivor gathering point.
As they approached the settlement, they saw some makeshift fortifications and wisps of smoke rising from chimneys. The people here were struggling to survive in the apocalypse. Su Yao and Ling Yu carried supplies into the settlement, and the people looked at them with wary yet expectant eyes. They knew that perhaps they could find a wise person here to decipher the information, and that they could share these supplies, bringing hope to more people, and together searching for a glimmer of hope for survival in this extreme cold of the apocalypse.
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