The Strength Fruit wasn't particularly meaningful to him anymore in terms of raw power—his Ancient Zoan transformation already provided overwhelming physical enhancement far beyond what these could offer.
But Strength Fruits could still reshape the body—refining muscle definition, increasing bone density, and perfecting outward physique to aesthetic ideals.
He was already exceptionally good-looking after his previous enhancements, but physical perfection always had room to grow even further.
As for the red-haired woman leading the armed group, Elric glanced at her once and immediately lost interest.
Decent enough looks by normal standards, but she fundamentally didn't meet the System's qualification thresholds.
Not worth noting or pursuing.
"Boss," the red-haired woman said coldly, her tone businesslike and professional. "Thirteen Strength Fruits in exchange for three trucks of supplies and clean water."
She gestured to her armed escorts standing ready.
"If this trade isn't acceptable, then you're seriously underestimating our reach and resources."
Elric paused, his hearing catching that specific name.
Junlane Sanctuary?
So it was them again—the same organization Emily had mentioned controlling portions of Chicago's survivor infrastructure.
He didn't move from his shadowed observation point, simply watching the negotiation unfold with interest.
The burly man opposite her—thick muscular neck, scarred face, aggressive posture—laughed with false friendliness.
"thirteen fruits for three supply trucks is already an extremely generous bargain for you," he said with a wide grin. "We'll gladly take those supplies now."
He waved his hand sharply.
Five or six men immediately rushed out from inside the looted supermarket.
BOOM.
Flames suddenly erupted from multiple directions simultaneously.
Metal weapons fused unnaturally to wielders' flesh, transforming arms into bladed appendages.
Water surged from nowhere, defying physics to attack in directed streams.
The escort group was caught completely off guard by the coordinated supernatural assault.
"What are you doing?!" She shouted with genuine shock and fury. "Are you insane? You dare attack us directly?!"
She couldn't believe the audacity.
They was one of the strongest remaining shelters left in the entire city—backed by powerful ability users, extensive resources, and organized military structure.
Did this supermarket thug not comprehend who stood behind her organization?
His false friendliness vanished, replaced by cold malice.
"Junlane is only strong because of Jun and Lane," he sneered, referring to the sanctuary's two legendary founders. "Not because of disposable trash like you field agents."
He gestured dismissively at his ambush team.
"Kill them all. Burn the bodies completely."
"We'll report they were eaten by mutated creatures during the trade."
"In this apocalyptic era, no one investigates corpses or missing persons anymore."
Flames rolled menacingly over his clenched fist.
The brutal fight exploded into full chaos.
Gunfire roared. Abilities clashed. Blood sprayed.
At first, the Junlane escort held their defensive formation admirably.
But their resistance didn't last long.
These ambushers weren't newly awakened ability users stumbling through their powers.
Their supernatural abilities were upgraded—refined through experience, enhanced through consumption of ability cores, practiced until instinctive.
Bullets bounced harmlessly off hardened skin.
Fire swallowed steel weapons and melted them to slag.
Enhanced strength shattered bones with casual strikes.
One by one, Junlane's professional soldiers fell—outmatched, overwhelmed, systematically eliminated.
In less than five brutal minutes, only She remained alive—collapsed on the blood-soaked pavement, severely wounded, unable to stand or fight.
Zhang Ping stepped forward slowly, savoring his victory.
"I told you, didn't I?" he said with sadistic satisfaction.
"Without Jun and Lane personally protecting you, you're nothing."
He casually snatched the metal case containing thirteen Strength Fruits from her weakening grip.
Concentrated flames gathered around his raised fist, preparing the killing blow.
"Die now."
CRACKLE.
Thunder suddenly tore the air apart with deafening force.
A figure appeared instantaneously between him and his intended victim—materializing through spatial displacement.
Over 1.8 meters tall. Calm posture. Devastatingly handsome features. Eyes completely indifferent to the carnage.
Elric didn't even bother looking at him directly.
He simply reached out with one hand—
—and effortlessly took the metal case of Strength Fruits from the stunned thug's grip.
He froze completely, his brain struggling to process what had just occurred.
Then his face twisted with volcanic fury at the casual disrespect.
"You dare rob me?!" he roared with genuine outrage.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!"
"Everyone—kill him!"
Flames surged from his fists. His men rushed forward with enhanced abilities activated—metal weapons extending, water streams forming, enhanced strength gathering.
Multiple supernatural attacks erupted simultaneously as his entire enhanced gang rushed Elric from all directions in coordinated assault.
Elric sighed softly with mild annoyance.
Too loud. Too slow. Too weak.
Crackling lightning wrapped around his entire body like living armor.
The street filled with the sharp scent of ozone and the rumble of artificial thunder.
Flame fists, gunfire, iron rods, water streams—everything slammed into Elric's position at once in devastating combination.
Direct hits. No dodging. No defensive posture.
"It's just some reckless nobody who doesn't know his place!" one thug laughed.
"Damn, you almost scared us with that entrance!"
"Hahaha—easy kill!"
The supermarket gang burst into triumphant laughter as their attacks landed cleanly, believing victory was assured.
For a brief moment, they genuinely thought it was over.
Then—
They saw Elric smiling calmly through the smoke and flames.
Every place that had been struck by their attacks wasn't damaged flesh at all.
It was pure lightning—crackling arcs of electricity replacing skin and bone, his body half-transformed into a living supernatural.
Their attacks had passed harmlessly through his elemental form.
"That's impossible..." he froze, his eyes widening with dawning terror. "We clearly hit him directly!"
Elric lifted his head slowly, his smile never wavering.
On his right arm, molten heat began gathering—thick, violent, glowing crimson-red like the heart of a volcano.
"You're a flame ability user," he stated calmly, almost conversationally. "I'm magma."
His fist ignited completely, dripping liquid rock.
"Let's see which one burns hotter, shall we?"
BOOM.
His fist came down like a falling mountain of superheated destruction.
A massive wave of molten magma erupted outward in all directions, swallowing screams, steel weapons, and human flesh alike in an unstoppable tide of volcanic heat.
In less than a single heartbeat, the men who had surrounded him so confidently were completely erased—no bodies left behind, no bones remaining, only scorched earth and rapidly cooling rock marking where they'd stood.
Absolute silence fell over the blood-soaked street.
"Th-thank you..." She forced herself upright despite her severe injuries, staring at Elric with lingering shock and desperate gratitude. "You saved my life. Junlane Sanctuary will absolutely repay this debt."
Elric glanced at her briefly, then down at the metal case now securely in his possession.
"No need for repayment," he said with complete indifference. "These thirteen Strength Fruits are sufficient reward for the intervention."
She visibly stiffened at the declaration.
Those Strength Fruits represented enormous value to Junlane Sanctuary's power structure—but she didn't dare argue or negotiate after witnessing what he'd just done.
One wrong word, and she'd be turned into ash and cooling rock like the others.
"...Understood," she managed to say, swallowing her protest.
Elric turned away dismissively, heading toward the supermarket to check for additional supplies worth claiming.
Then he paused mid-step.
Something had caught his perception.
A vehicle. Hidden behind debris.
He looked over his shoulder toward a damaged car partially concealed in an alley.
Inside that vehicle were four young women—pressed together nervously, clearly terrified by the violence they'd just witnessed.
His eyes sharpened immediately, Clairvoyance activating automatically.
The enhanced vision peeled back all concealment and distance.
The first girl he noticed had a high ponytail and naturally soft, youthful features. Neat bangs framed her forehead, skin pale with a subtle healthy flush. She wore nothing particularly special—just a plain T-shirt, faded jeans, worn sneakers—but the natural vitality radiating from her was unmistakable.
System information surfaced automatically in his vision:
Name: Kelly
Age: 19
Appearance: 91
Figure: 89
Overall System Rating: 90
Monthly Exchange Rewards: 19 cycles
Qualified. High value.
Elric's analytical gaze lingered for half a second longer, memorizing her features.
Then his attention shifted to the girl beside her.
Blue-dyed hair. Striking blue eyes—possibly colored contacts. Sharp nose bridge. Long limbs creating elegant proportions. Closer inspection revealed she was fully Asian—just naturally striking rather than mixed heritage.
Her presence radiated calm confidence even in fear—cooler, more controlled than her companion.
And her rating was higher.
Another translucent panel unfolded:
Name: Mia
Age: 19
Appearance: 94
Figure: 93
Purity: 100
Overall System Rating: 93.5
Elric's interest ignited like struck tinder.
Two qualified adopters. Both high-value. In a single vehicle.
His lips curved into a slight predatory smile.
It seems this supply run wasn't just about Strength Fruits after all.
Fate continues to deliver exactly what I need.
He began walking purposefully toward the concealed vehicle, the metal case of fruits secured under one arm.
The real prizes of this encounter had just revealed themselves.
There is 70 chapter Advance, in my patreon. If you are interested can check it out.
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