Chapter 289: Radiation Sickness

Chapter 289: Chapter 289: Radiation Sickness

Simon Holt watched as Seraphina Sullivan summoned two magnificent, powerful pets.

Envy flickered in his eyes.

If he had such companions, perhaps he wouldn’t have ended up abandoned by his own team.

But he quickly composed himself, fully aware of his role at that moment.

An auxiliary, someone who provided information.

He focused, checking the feedback from his Talent again before confirming, "Sullivan, the map shows a resource point signature just ahead. The Energy fluctuations seem a bit stronger than any we’ve encountered before."

Seraphina Sullivan gave a slight nod to show she understood, her eyes scanning the surroundings with heightened vigilance.

After walking a while longer and passing through a grove of twisted, dead trees, the landscape ahead suddenly opened up.

A unique landscape came into view, one that stood in stark contrast to the surrounding desolation and ruin.

"Wait! Hide!"

Seraphina Sullivan’s expression hardened as she instantly lowered her voice.

She grabbed Simon Holt, pulling him swiftly behind a large boulder.

Because up ahead, the location of the so-called "resource point," wasn’t an abandoned mine or natural wonder as they’d expected. It was, astonishingly... a human settlement.

A sizable, ramshackle fortress stood at the far end of their field of view.

It wasn’t built from modern reinforced concrete. Instead, it was pieced together and fortified with crude metal plates, heavy concrete blocks, and even the twisted wreckage of vehicles.

It radiated the rugged tenacity of the wasteland-punk style.

Watchtowers were set atop the high walls, and the faint silhouettes of people could be seen moving around.

"There’s actually a human settlement here?" Simon Holt exclaimed in shock.

He hurriedly pulled a pair of binoculars from his slightly battered backpack, the movement tugging at his wounds and causing him to grit his teeth.

He was currently wrapped head to toe in bandages Seraphina Sullivan had given him, looking for all the world like a walking mummy.

"Sullivan, use these. You’ll get a clearer view."

"No need," Seraphina Sullivan declined softly. The [Analysis Glasses] she always wore had already activated. A shimmer of light pulsed across the lenses as the distant scene was rapidly magnified and locked into focus, every detail crystal clear.

Meanwhile, her [Eye of Resume] was on standby.

The two of them watched from their hiding spot.

"A settlement means the Native People of this world have figured out how to survive in this harsh environment and fight off those aberrant monsters."

Simon Holt whispered, analyzing the situation. "The question is, do they rely on modified conventional weapons, or... have they mastered some kind of special Power system?"

Understanding that was crucial for outsiders like them to grasp the rules of this world.

Seraphina Sullivan was just as curious.

She focused, carefully observing the Native People moving about inside and outside the fortress.

Most of the buildings inside the fortress were low, sturdy shacks and houses cobbled together from assorted materials, their uniform style reeking of wasteland desolation and pragmatism.

But it was the people moving about inside who gave Seraphina Sullivan a slight surprise.

Almost without exception, their skin possessed an extremely unnatural, bloodless pallor, as if they hadn’t seen sunlight in years.

Even stranger, everyone—man or woman—was bald. Not a single hair grew on their heads, which reflected a faint sheen under the bleak sky.

"Why... why is their skin so pale? And they’re all bald?" Simon Holt muttered in confusion, having also noticed this prominent feature through his binoculars.

Seraphina Sullivan didn’t answer. Instead, she used her [Analysis Glasses] to lock onto a particularly burly guard in simple leather armor who was patrolling the Wall.

A thought crossed her mind.

Information from her [Eye of Resume] instantly appeared:

[Name: Malik]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills·Muscle Enhancement]: Due to prolonged exposure to high concentrations of radiation, the subject’s genes have undergone adaptive mutation. Muscle tissue density and structure differ from the norm, enabling bursts of Power, speed, and durability far exceeding those of an ordinary person.

[Weaknesses: Radiation Sickness]: While the intense radiation grants special Power, it also deeply erodes the subject’s life force. The genetic chain is unstable, resulting in a drastically shortened lifespan; few live past the age of thirty. Typical external symptoms of radiation sickness: loss of skin pigmentation, resulting in a morbid pallor, and complete necrosis of hair follicles, rendering hair growth impossible.

A jolt went through Seraphina Sullivan.

’Radiation sickness! So this world has threats like this, too.’

These Native People used radiation to gain the Power to survive, but paid the terrible price of a shortened life and a disfigured body.

This was undoubtedly another core threat to survival in the "Aberrant Radiation" world, second only to the monsters.

Simon Holt had no idea that Seraphina Sullivan had already glimpsed the cruel truth of this world from a single guard.

He was more concerned with the immediate problem. "Sullivan, what do we do now? The resource point on the map is clearly inside that settlement. Are we still going in?"

Seraphina Sullivan looked at the heavily fortified settlement of Native People, weighing her options.

’Forcing our way into an unknown, and clearly armed, native settlement is too risky,’ she thought. ’It could easily lead to unnecessary trouble.’

’My main goal is to gather supplies and complete side quests, not get tangled up in local power struggles.’

Her gaze swept the area, and she spotted a natural cave in the rocks nearby that looked relatively concealed.

"We won’t go in for now," she decided, pointing to the cave. "Let’s rest in there and plan our next move."

Simon Holt was already exhausted, both physically and mentally. His wounds still throbbed with a dull ache, so the chance to rest was more than welcome.

However, just as the two were preparing to head for the cave, a cacophony of roaring engines, sporadic gunshots, and excited whoops erupted from the direction of the settlement.

The pair immediately took cover again, peering out cautiously.

A convoy of several modified off-road vehicles, covered in rust and spikes, was speeding toward the fortress gate.

The people in the vehicles were the same pale-skinned, bald residents.

They brandished their weapons, letting out wild cheers as if returning from a successful hunt.

But what was most eye-catching was at the rear of the convoy. A dozen or so women, bound with coarse ropes, were being dragged by the vehicles, stumbling to keep up.

These people also had pale skin, but in stark contrast to the fortress residents, they had thick heads of hair.

"What... What’s going on?"

Simon Holt saw the stark contrast through his binoculars and was utterly confused. "They look different... They have hair?"

Seraphina Sullivan’s gaze narrowed, and she immediately locked onto one of the bound captives, a young-looking woman.

[Name: Tex]

[Gender: Female]

[Professional Skills: Strong Pregnancy]: Possesses an extremely powerful and stable reproductive Ability. High conception rate, short gestation period, and rapid postpartum recovery, allowing for effective procreation.

[Weaknesses: A delicate flower from an underground fortress. Possesses a highly intelligent mind, but her physical Power is weak.]

The analysis left Seraphina Sullivan utterly dumbfounded.