In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

North America, the ruins of Los Angeles.

Several roughly modified SUVs were parked in front of a collapsed bank building.

The three men stood in a triangular formation, holding their guns and sizing each other up from a distance of more than ten meters.

They had just confirmed their team formation in the Global Awakeners Dialogue System, less than four hours after they met.

The atmosphere is like a wasteland.

Neither of them put down their guns first.

Leading the way was a burly black man named Theon.

He tapped his metallic left arm, making a dull thud.

"To be honest, I don't like this way of meeting. But here, nobody believes anyone else is the only truth for survival."

He exhaled a puff of white breath reeking of gunpowder, his sharp gaze sweeping over the two of them.

"But now that we've accepted the bounty from the Great Xia, should we give the number or the name?"

I have to be upfront about this; I don't want to get shot in the back when a fight breaks out.

On the left is a young Asian man with a buzz cut named Lowry.

He was the first to concede, lowering the muzzle of his gun and speaking.

"We're here to risk our lives, so let's all be honest. Hiding things will only kill everyone."

My name is Lori, a second-tier wind-elemental awakened being. My main focus is crowd control and mid-range damage output.

On the right is a hot blonde woman with a poisoned dagger strapped to each side of her legs; her name is Michonne.

"Michonne. A second-tier poison-type awakener."

Her voice was very hoarse, carrying an aloofness that kept people at a distance.

"Don't expect me to be very cooperative. If anyone drags my feet, I'll abandon them immediately."

"She has a fiery temper, which I like."

Theon grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

"I, Theon, am a second-tier dual-elemental user of both Strength and Metal Enhancement. Leave the defense and physical resistance to me."

"As long as your firepower keeps up, I guarantee the monster won't be able to touch a hair on your head."

With the initial briefing completed, the three men's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

Theon raised his wrist and pressed the communication button on the tactical terminal.

"Calling operator, this is North American Team 411. We have reached the coordinates and are requesting final target confirmation."

A clear and articulate female voice in Mandarin came through the terminal, accompanied by simultaneous translation.

"Attention Squad 411, target is Tier 3 mutated giant lizard, 1200 points, with the characteristics of 'hardened scales' and 'highly corrosive saliva'."

The target is currently dormant, and no large horde of zombies has been detected within a 500-meter radius.

"Also, a reminder: according to the 'Atlas of Alienated Organisms' provided by the Great Xia Academy of Sciences, the target's weak point is the scaleless area on its abdomen. Good luck with your hunt."

Listening to the information coming through the headset, Theon released the button, raising an eyebrow at Lori and Michonne.

"Then stop talking nonsense."

Lowry nodded in acknowledgment and pulled back the bolt. "Great Xia's points aren't easy to earn. If it's a tough opponent, we'll have to rely on ourselves."

The three men formed a tactical formation and slowly advanced into the collapsed underground parking garage entrance.

The light gradually dimmed as we went deeper.

A strong, fishy stench filled the air, the unique odor of mutated creatures.

Theon walked at the front, with the exoskeleton's power output set to maximum.

The heavy blast door of the vault had been violently torn open, its edges riddled with pits and corrosion marks.

"It's inside."

Michonne lowered her voice, and two poisoned daggers slid silently into her palms.

Lowry gestured for the two to separate.

Just then, a sickening scraping sound of scales came from deep within the vault.

"hiss!"

Immediately afterwards, two enormous eyes, like red lanterns, lit up in the darkness.

"Let's get started!"

Theon let out a low growl, and his left arm rapidly expanded, transforming into a massive black metal shield half the height of a person, which stood firmly against the entrance to the vault.

"Michonne!" Lowry roared.

"Shut up! Don't rush me!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Michonne waved her hands forward, and two clouds of purplish-black poisonous mist exploded in her palms.

"Lowry!"

"They're here!"

Lowry pushed his hands out, and a violent whirlwind appeared out of thin air, carrying the highly concentrated poisonous mist, transforming it into a purplish-black poisonous dragon that poured into the vault.

The wind carries the poison's power, and the poison travels with the wind!

This is the most basic elemental linkage tactic in the "Supernatural Puzzle Model" released by Da Xia.

The roar pierced through the thick walls.

The massive body crashed into the confined space, causing the ground to tremble violently.

The poisonous mist seeped into the monitor lizard through its respiratory tract and the gaps in its scales.

Even a third-tier mutant would find it unbearable to be subjected to such a combined attack in a confined space.

"Bang!"

A massive black shadow burst forth, propelled by the poisonous fog.

The giant lizard's massive head, covered in keratin, slammed solidly into Theon's massive metal shield!

Theon's hydraulic exoskeleton creaked, but he withstood the full force of the impact.

The power of a third-tier being is terrifying!

"Hurry up! I can't take it anymore! My bones are going to break!"

Theon's eyes were bloodshot, and his metallized left arm had visible tears.

The rampaging behemoth was firmly blocking the entrance to the passage!

"Its belly is showing! Michonne, make your move!" Lowry roared.

Michonne moved with lightning speed, stepping on a nearby support pillar and leaping into the air.

"Go to hell, you beast!"

Two poisoned daggers pierced the monitor lizard's unsuspecting abdominal flesh with precision, and then slashed downwards.

"Sizzle!"

Dark green blood gushed out, splashing onto the ground and corroding it, producing large plumes of white smoke.

The monitor lizard, in pain, swung its tail back.

If this blow lands squarely, even a second-tier awakened being's body will be instantly ripped in two!

Michonne's pupils contracted sharply as she sensed the shadow of death.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Lowry fired his crystal rifle in quick succession, and three eerie blue energy bullets struck the giant lizard's right eye, forcibly interrupting its attack.

"retreat!"

Having landed a successful blow, the three retreated frantically, creating a safe distance between themselves.

The monitor lizard struggled and rolled violently in place for a while, smashing through countless bricks before finally collapsing with a crash.

The deadly poison from the wound had already spread throughout its body via the bloodstream, completely severing its last vestige of life.

Theon gasped for breath, deactivated his powers, and stared at the enormous corpse on the ground.

"Ha...hahaha! Less than half an hour, 1200 points...I fucking got them!"

He vigorously wiped the blood off his face, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism.

Even if the points are split equally among the three people, each person will still receive 400 points.

Compared to the price of one first-order crystal core per cent, this is an enormous sum of money!

Michonne stepped forward, dissected the giant lizard's head, and picked out a luminous crystal core.

The terminal communicator beeped.

"Squad 411, life detectors show the target has lost vital signs."

Congratulations on successfully completing your first Tier 3 target kill. Tier 3 crystal cores will be retrieved by dedicated drones.

The 1200 mission points will be credited to your team's account later.

The operator's voice remained professional.

"In addition, the Awakener Headquarters Shop has launched a batch of the latest second-tier crystal core extract and third-tier crystal energy battle sword, which can be redeemed with points."

The three of them exchanged a glance, and could all see the excitement in each other's eyes.

Just as they were packing up to leave, Lowry suddenly uttered a soft "Hmm?"

"What is this?"

The screen, which originally only had the task and redemption interface, now had two brand new modules.

[Global Awakened Squad Overall Ranking]

[Global Awakened Individual Combat Power Ranking]