Chapter Twenty-Four: Clues About Family

“Dad, Mom, I’m coming home now!”

With that thought, in the next instant, Long Yu stepped through the spatial gate and arrived sixty miles away.

Familiar sights met his eyes: the small grocery store, Uncle Li’s steamed bun shop, and the travel agency where Long Yu had worked for several years. Everything looked just as he remembered.

But, just like the other towns he’d encountered, not a soul was present. Everything lay in ruins, desolate and silent.

The glass doors of the travel agency were shattered, though it was impossible to tell whether humans or mutated beasts had broken them after the people fled.

Long Yu walked along the familiar streets, but there was no one around—only mutated animals fleeing in terror from his presence.

Since returning to Earth, he had yet to see another human being. The thought unsettled him.

Could humanity truly have perished?

As soon as the idea surfaced, a wave of helplessness washed over Long Yu, as if he were drowning. The feeling was so intense it almost drove him to despair.

Even with his tremendous strength, if all of humanity had vanished from Earth, what would any of it matter? Were that the case, he would rather end his own life than continue on alone.

He shook his head fiercely, dispelling those thoughts. Quickening his pace, he was desperate for any clue about his family, any sign of human life.

His extraordinary physique granted him astonishing speed; in less than ten seconds, he covered the distance of more than a mile.

He was greeted by the tightly shut gate of his family home.

Using brute force, he broke the door open. Out of habit, he called out, “Dad, Mom, I’m home.”

The only answer was the startled scurrying of rats, frightened by his sudden intrusion.

Rats darted in all directions, occasionally crashing into the furniture and filling the house with thuds.

“Perhaps Mom and Dad left a clue behind!”

Gazing at the disorder in his home, Long Yu thought to himself:

If my parents fled, maybe they left me a sign. Something, so I could find them when I returned.

Sure enough, after taking only a few steps inside, Long Yu spotted bold letters scrawled on the living room wall in permanent marker.

“Son, we’ve all relocated to Liangzhou City. Come find us when you get home.”

Relief flooded Long Yu at those words.

His parents and younger sister were safe—humanity had not been extinguished. They had simply escaped to a different place.

It was time to collect the tiger and go find his family.

The tiger possessed supernatural abilities; with proper care, it could become an invaluable companion.

After spending so long in the secret realm, Long Yu understood just how rare supernatural abilities were. There was no way he would give up a tiger with such potential.

He summoned the spatial gate again, bringing the tiger directly to his side.

Under the Beast Taming Art’s influence, the tiger was instinctively affectionate, rubbing its head against Long Yu like a giant housecat, its tail swishing.

Long Yu patted the tiger’s head and led it out of the house.

Having used his powers repeatedly, his energy was nearly depleted. He hadn’t eaten since returning to Earth and was already famished.

After the cataclysm, as humans withdrew, animals gradually took over many former human habitats, resulting in an abundance of wildlife in most places outside human settlements.

Of course, that abundance came with a caveat: you needed the strength to survive among beasts—or else, you wouldn’t be the hunter, but the hunted.

Even herbivores, driven by their hunger for crystal cores, would kill weaker creatures.

During his time back on Earth, Long Yu had gained a general understanding of the planet’s animal strength. The most powerful animal he’d encountered had a physical strength of around 200.

Though there might be stronger creatures out there, it was clear such beings were rare. Long Yu was likely one of the strongest on Earth—if not the very strongest, then certainly among the elite.

The town’s animal population consisted mainly of mutated dogs and cats, abandoned pets after the disaster. Then there were rats hiding in every corner, and mutated insects—together, they formed the local ecosystem.

Cat meat was unpalatable, and rat meat was out of the question. Long Yu had always detested rats—even in peaceful times. There was no way he would eat one now. Naturally, he set his sights on the town’s dogs.

“This one won’t do,” Long Yu muttered, eyeing a dog of modest size.

The dog resembled a poodle, but its body was several times larger, fangs jutting out from its mouth. A deep wound marred its side, the brown fur missing and raw flesh exposed.

Sensing its aura, Long Yu estimated its physical strength to be around 50.

Too weak—its meat would be tough and flavorless.

He let the dog go, unnoticed as it was.

Long Yu intended to find a beast with a strength of about 100—enough to boost the tiger’s power, and its meat would be suitable for them to eat.

Ignoring several animals that didn’t even merit his attention, his gaze finally settled on a dog the size of a calf.

This one’s strength was about 100, comparable to the tiger. Its enormous, mutated form made it impossible to discern its original breed.

When he spotted it, the dog was vigorously mating with a female nearby, intent on producing offspring.

“Kill it,” Long Yu ordered the tiger at his side. With a thought, the tiger sprang into action.

The mating dog was startled by the tiger’s sudden appearance.

In its panic, it tried to retreat, but the two dogs were still joined and struggled in opposite directions—resulting in neither escaping.

Realizing flight was futile, the mutated dog panicked momentarily, but quickly regained composure. Having survived many fights in town, it was quick to steady itself, facing the tiger head-on, ready for a fight.

But what met it was not claws or fangs, but a barrage of icicles—the tiger’s self-taught E-rank skill, Ice Spike.

The icicles rained down on the dog, which, unable to dodge due to its awkward position, was struck again and again, each shard leaving a bloody gash.

Howling in pain, the dog finally wrenched itself free from its mate.

The female, yelping from the violence, slunk away with her tail between her legs, leaving the mutated dog and the tiger facing off.

No longer restrained, the mutated dog charged at the tiger in a fury—determined to make this challenger pay the price for daring to provoke the strongest beast in town.