A single-player post-apocalyptic game, but with an all-female teammate mod.

The first to notice was an ordinary yeti. It stopped eating, raised its head, let out a muffled roar like thunder, and spewed out a large cloud of white mist from its mouth and nose.

The other two immediately stopped what they were doing, turned around, and bared their fangs, which were covered in blood and flesh scraps.

However, the expected swarm did not materialize.

The elite Yeti let out a low growl, and the three Yetis, without prior agreement, did not charge but instead turned around abruptly.

With a swipe of its thick arms, it quickly retreated to the other side of the ice rock.

Even during the retreat, he casually grabbed a piece of ice the size of a millstone and hurled it at the location of Aono and the other two, not intending to hit them, but only to delay them for a moment.

"Tsk, I kind of miss the stupid mycelium zombies."

After dodging a giant piece of flying ice, Aono grumbled unhappily.

Then his eyes sharpened. "Shadow, intercept on the left! Icarus, suppress on the right flank, don't let it escape into that ice crevice!"

This time, the two women didn't say anything, but responded with their actions.

No sooner had Qingye finished speaking than Ying's figure disappeared into the snowstorm like a ghost, heading straight for the left flank.

Icarus then flapped his wings and took to the air, a faint red glow gathering at his fingertips.

The skill Apollon is unlocked after officially breaking through level 20.

Of course, the current Apollon has also been weakened.

It couldn't even manifest the form of a large black bow, let alone destroy a country in one strike.

The red energy beam was precisely aimed at the ground in the path that the elite Yeti was bound to take.

boom!

The halo exploded, the ice shattered, the elite yeti's landing spot collapsed, and its massive body staggered.

In that instant, Aono was already close, his lightning chakra crackling on the axe blade, crackling with tiny blue sparks as it cut through the wind and snow.

The elite Yeti reacted extremely quickly, turning around and throwing a punch.

The force of the punch subtly stirred up swirling vortexes of snow foam.

clang!

Sparks flew as the axe blade clashed with the fist.

Aono stood still, somewhat surprised that he hadn't managed to break the Yeti's fist in one go.

A deep, charred gash, revealing bone, was left on the back of the elite Yeti's fist; the intense pain drove it into a frenzy.

But it still didn't fight to the death. After howling at Qingye a few times, it turned around and fled again.

Seemingly having ascertained Aono's strength, they fled even faster.

"Don't pursue a cornered enemy," Qingye knew this principle well.

But if we just stop them, we won't have to chase them anymore.

The advantage of all-round development is that there are no weaknesses.

He not only overwhelmed the elite Yeti with his strength, but also with his speed.

In a flash, Aono caught up with the elite Yeti and swung his axe down again.

Faced with Aono's attack, the elite Yeti dared not take it head-on.

He was forced to stop and turn around to meet the attack with his uninjured fist.

clang!

"Awooo!!!"

After the crisp clang of metal against metal, came the mournful howl of the elite Yeti.

This time, Aono didn't pause; the next axe fell again.

Knowing there was no hope of escape, a hint of despair flashed in the elite yeti's dark yellow pupils.

It raised its fists high, barely managing to block another blow, and then began to pound its chest with its thick arms.

At the same time, it let out a deafening roar, trying to intimidate the powerful enemy in front of it with its imposing presence.

Unfortunately, Aono wasn't buying it.

"They're just bluffing?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Aono's lips. Chakra flowed slightly beneath his muscles, not outwardly, yet it boosted his strength once again.

He had already mastered some of the techniques of superhuman strength.

While it may not be as versatile as Tsunade's, it's perfectly adequate for enhancing attacks.

With a light touch of his toes, he instantly leaped over the Yeti's massive body.

"Pfft-"

The axe, carrying heavy wind pressure, cleaved diagonally upwards.

Because Aono was too fast, the Yeti didn't even have time to make a complete defensive move. It only felt a chill on the side of its neck, followed by a tearing pain.

Hot blood gushed out, instantly turning dark red in the frigid air, creating a stark contrast with the surrounding white snow.

The Yeti's massive body trembled violently, its arms, which it had swung with all its might, fell limply to the ground, and its enormous head rolled a great distance with the force of its momentum.

Those dark yellow eyes still held a fierce glint even in death.

In the blink of an eye, the battle was decided.

[Experience points +850]

Gold Coins +680

[Ice Crystal Stone +7]

[Beast Fangs +15]

A hint of joy flashed in Aono's eyes as he looked at the "ice crystal" emitting a faint blue light in the system notification.

Sure enough, elite monsters drop much more loot than regular monsters.

Seven ice crystals are equivalent to 21 lower-grade ice crystal fragments.

Unfortunately, there are still no other two types of material available.

While Aono was dealing with the elite Yeti, Kage and Icarus also took care of the two ordinary Yetis.

The dropped items are the same as the snakes and worms, only in larger quantities.

Aono wiped the blood off his axe and looked up in the direction the elite yeti had fled.

There is a complex cluster of ice peaks there.

He seemed to be deep in thought. It seemed that the area was likely the lair of these Yetis, and also a place where resources were relatively concentrated in this region.

"Icarus, mark the coordinates."

"Yes, Master."

As a new red dot lit up on the map projected from Icarus's palm, Aono nodded in satisfaction.

He opened the panel and glanced at the time; it was already noon.

After system optimization, a time display has been added.

It's much easier to check the time now than before, and there's absolutely no need to worry about it being inaccurate.

"We've explored enough for today; it's time to head back."

After collecting the loot from the ordinary Yeti into his system inventory, Aono, along with Kage and Icarus, began their return journey.

Instead of turning back, he slightly adjusted his direction and planned to circle back to the ark along a gentle slope from the side.

Firstly, it can expand the coverage of the known map, and secondly, it can also clear out the monsters along the way.

The monsters encountered along the way are still mainly snakes and worms.

These lowly monsters are driven by instinct; they will approach and attack as soon as they sense the presence of a living being.

Occasionally, you might encounter two or three Yetis hunting.

Compared to snakes and worms, these big guys are clearly much more alert.

Each time I encounter one, I have to chase it for a while before I can successfully kill it.

We drove and stopped frequently, and the two-plus hours passed quickly.

Aono gradually gained a better understanding of the situation.

Within a two-kilometer radius of the Ark, the variety of monsters is pitifully limited.

There are only two species: snake worm and snow monster.

There are many snakes and worms, but they are all underground. Whether you encounter one depends entirely on luck. Also, be careful not to let them burrow back into the ground to escape during the fight.

Yetis are highly intelligent and often travel in groups, but their numbers are very small within a two-kilometer radius.

Their activity range should be further out.

A dozen minutes later, the familiar energy shield, radiating a soft glow, came into view again.

Aono tugged at the collar of his down jacket and stepped into the light blue energy shield, instantly shutting out the howling wind and snow.

Back inside the ark, warmth instantly enveloped my entire body.

Compared to the extreme cold outside, where temperatures are tens of degrees below zero, the environment here, with temperatures around twenty degrees Celsius, is simply like paradise.

When they returned to the captain's cabin, only Coco and Asagi were in the living room.

They are studying the economic system and network construction, both of which need to be determined as soon as possible.

The others trained with Tsunade in the training room.

Upon seeing Aono return with Kage and Ika, the two women stopped what they were doing.

"Mr. Aono, should I call Dudu and the others over?"

It's only a little past 3 p.m., so we need to allow plenty of buffer time for our first exploration to avoid encountering unexpected situations.

Also, Aono really doesn't like this checkpoint and doesn't want to stay outside any longer.

"Okay, go ahead, have dinner early today."

Aono pinched Koko's delicate face and said wearily, "I'm very hungry right now."

……

Two hours later, Aono finished the hot soup in his bowl and let out a satisfied sigh.

"Comfortable……"

After resting for a while, he finally got down to business.

"We explored about two kilometers today..."

Aono succinctly explained the "full map vision" of the snake, the yeti, and Icarus.

In conclusion, "While the monsters drop a lot of loot, this area is incredibly barren. Aside from the materials they drop, you can't even find a single blade of grass."

After hearing the report, the women's expressions became more serious.

Monsters can be fought and killed, but there's no way to deal with harsh environments.

"Therefore, the arrangements remain unchanged."

Aono's gaze swept over everyone, his tone calm and resolute, "The expedition will still be conducted by me, Shadow, and Icarus. Everyone else must remain inside the Ark and, without my order, are strictly prohibited from stepping outside the protective shield."

"Yes, Captain."

The women responded in unison.

They knew that going out at this moment would not only fail to help, but would also become a burden.

74. Snow Woman & New NPC

"In addition to daily training and physical exercises, we will focus on agricultural development next."