The snarls from outside the cave grew closer. Lin Fan knew the mutated beast wouldn't give up easily. He took a deep breath, feeling the surging Origin Energy within him, his gaze hardening. He was no longer the helpless Earth graduate student; he was a survivor on the Martian wasteland, a being who had just awakened to power.
He pried a sharp rock from the cave wall, fashioning it into a makeshift weapon. As he emerged, the mutated sand worm was pacing restlessly outside. Seeing Lin Fan, its crimson compound eyes locked onto him, emitting another shrill shriek before lunging forward.
This time, Lin Fan didn't evade. He shifted his body slightly, dodging the sand worm's direct pounce, while simultaneously thrusting the rock fiercely into the creature's soft underbelly. The sand worm's carapace was tough, but its abdomen was its weakness. With a pained shriek, the massive body of the sand worm convulsed violently, spraying foul-smelling blood.
Lin Fan gave it no quarter. Origin Energy surged, and he moved like a phantom, circling behind the sand worm. The rock once again found its mark, piercing precisely into the junction of its spine. The sand worm let out a desperate wail, collapsing to the ground, utterly silent.
[Killed mutated sand worm, gained Origin Energy points +5.]
The system's prompt momentarily startled Lin Fan, then filled him with elation. Origin Energy points? This seemed to be another reward mechanism provided by the system. He tentatively placed his hand on the sand worm's corpse, and the system prompted again:
[Detected absorbable biological energy. Absorb?]
"Absorb!" Lin Fan didn't hesitate. A chilling energy flowed from the sand worm's body into his own. Though faint, it indeed caused a subtle increase in his Origin Energy level.
After dealing with the sand worm, Lin Fan began to consider his next move. He needed supplies, and more importantly, he needed to understand this Mars. He cut some meat from the sand worm's corpse; he didn't know if it was edible, but it was at least a reserve. He continued along the dunes, hoping to find any signs of human activity.
After about half a day, the Martian sky gradually darkened. Two dim, reddish moons silently rose, casting an eerie glow over the wasteland. Lin Fan felt a wave of exhaustion and was about to find a place to rest when a rumble echoed in the distance.
He immediately grew wary, hiding behind a large boulder. Three modified sand vehicles roared past, carrying seven or eight burly men armed with crude weapons. They wore tattered protective suits and menacing masks, clearly not to be trifled with.
"Raiders!" Lin Fan's heart sank. These were the most dangerous inhabitants of the Martian wasteland, far more terrifying than mutated beasts.
The sand vehicles stopped in a nearby depression, and several men jumped out, searching for something. Lin Fan held his breath, trying to make no sound. He knew that while he was stronger than before, confronting such an organized and equipped group of enemies head-on was suicidal.
However, fate seemed unwilling to let him off so easily. One of the raiders inadvertently looked up and spotted Lin Fan hiding behind the boulder. He let out a strange cry, his laser gun instantly pointing at Lin Fan.
"Found a lone fat sheep! Haha!"
Lin Fan cursed under his breath, his body lunging out as the system prompt sounded:
[Quest Issued: Desperate Counterattack]
[Objective: Defeat all raiders, acquire survival resources.]
[Reward: Origin Energy points +50, one random skill book.]
A laser beam grazed Lin Fan's scalp, the scorching heat causing a sharp pain. He knew there was no turning back. He activated his newly acquired Origin Energy Shield, a faint blue glow covering his body. Simultaneously, he used Mars' thin gravity to weave rapidly between the rocks, attempting to close in on his enemies.
The raiders clearly hadn't expected this "fat sheep" to possess such resistance, or such speed. They opened fire, but Lin Fan, relying on his heightened senses and the defense of his Origin Energy Shield, narrowly avoided most of the attacks.
Lin Fan's objective was clear—take out the ranged threats first. He accelerated sharply, charging towards the nearest raider wielding a laser gun. Before the man could react, Lin Fan unleashed a punch, the power imbued with Origin Energy exploding instantly, sending the raider flying into a sand vehicle, his fate unknown.
[Killed raider, gained Origin Energy points +10.]
The system's prompt invigorated Lin Fan. He noticed that killing human enemies yielded more Origin Energy points than mutated beasts. This gave him a deeper understanding of the system's mechanics.
The remaining raiders, seeing their comrade sent flying by a single punch, showed expressions of terror. They hadn't imagined this seemingly frail Earthling could be so powerful. However, they were desperadoes of the wasteland, and quickly regrouped, surrounding him from all sides.
Lin Fan calmly met their assault. He found that his body, nourished by Origin Energy, had reached a new level of reaction speed and control in combat. He no longer swung blindly; instead, he parried and counterattacked with precision, each strike carrying a deadly threat.
Soon, two more raiders fell beneath his fists. The remaining few finally broke, dropping their weapons and scrambling into their sand vehicles, fleeing in disarray.
Lin Fan didn't pursue. He knew this wasn't the time to reveal his full strength. He walked over to the fallen raiders, scavenging for useful supplies. Food, water, energy bars, a few spare weapons, and a tattered Martian map.
This map was more detailed than the one he had previously found, marking the locations of several settlements and some dangerous ruin zones. Lin Fan's gaze fell upon a circled spot on the map—"Ancient Civilization Energy Hub."
[Detected high-concentration Origin Energy reaction. Suggest host proceed to explore.]
The system's prompt sounded again. Lin Fan put away the map, looking up at the deep Martian night sky. He knew that the laws of survival on Mars were far more brutal than he had imagined, but also full of opportunities. He would grow stronger, much stronger, until he became the Supreme Overlord of this red planet!