Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely - Chapter 1

001: A Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland World

“I really didn’t expect this… I actually ended up in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Could this be heaven giving me another chance?”

Mu Liang still couldn’t wrap his head around it. The bizarre event of crossing over into another world had happened to him.

After five days of recovery, with his military training, Mu Liang had gathered enough basic information about this world.

This world was far larger than Earth, yet it had fallen into ruins and desolation. Civilization had declined to near extinction.

Crops couldn’t grow, and the land stretched desolate for miles.

Rain was scarce, and when it did rain, it was acidic.

The sky was often shrouded in dust, with sunlight only occasionally illuminating the earth.

“At this rate, I’ll be fully recovered in another day or two.”

Mu Liang flexed his arms; the soreness was gone.

After five days of rest, his strength was gradually returning.

Mu Liang pried open a gap in the wooden shed door to observe the outside.

The setting sun cast a golden glow over a barren land, devoid of any greenery.

“A post-apocalyptic wasteland… This kind of scenario was just a theoretical concept back on Earth, but now I’m actually living it.”

Back on Earth, Mu Liang was an orphan. He had dropped out of college halfway through because he couldn’t afford the tuition.

He joined the army and served as a special forces soldier for five years. Unfortunately, old injuries forced him to retire.

Mu Liang had planned to use his military survival skills to create short wilderness survival videos.

But fate had other plans. During an earthquake, he was caught in a fissure.

He thought he was going to die.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, he woke up lying on the desolate wasteland of this post-apocalyptic world, his body sore and unable to move.

Luckily, fate hadn’t abandoned him entirely. A girl, disguised as a boy, had secretly dragged him back to her camp and hidden him.

Mu Liang sighed helplessly. “Maybe this really is the start of a wilderness survival journey.”

As an undocumented outsider in the camp, if he were discovered, he’d have to leave immediately.

According to Mino, outsiders caught by the camp were either beaten to death or worked to death.

Neither outcome was one Mu Liang wanted.

Mino, the girl who had saved and hidden him, had disguised herself as a boy to survive.

“Crack~~”

A faint sound of a twig snapping brought Mu Liang back to his senses. He cautiously peered through the gap in the shed door.

A skinny figure, covered in dirt, was sneaking toward the shed.

Mu Liang’s tense body relaxed. The sneaky figure was none other than Mino.

Click…

The rickety shed door creaked open slowly.

A second later, it shut quickly.

“Ah! Why are you standing right by the door without a sound?”

Mino jumped, clutching her chest when she turned and saw Mu Liang standing close by.

“How was the harvest?”

Mu Liang stepped back and sat down by the door.

“Mu Liang, you’re amazing! The traps you taught me worked so well!”

Mino’s face lit up with excitement.

“I caught way more lizards today than I ever did before,” she said enthusiastically, rattling on.

“How many?” Mu Liang asked with a small smile.

After five days, he had grown used to her chatter and had yet to reveal that he knew she was a girl in disguise.

“Hehe… You’re going to be shocked.”

Mino giggled playfully. She pulled out a cloth bag slung across her shoulder and began taking out her catch.

First came one small, brown lizard, no larger than two fingers.

Then she pulled out seven more flat lizards, placing them neatly in front of Mu Liang.

“How many stone-pressure traps did you set today?” Mu Liang glanced at the small wounds on her fingers.

“Not enough time. I only managed to set up twenty-two traps,” Mino pouted. “Tomorrow, I’ll definitely do more—at least thirty.”

“Don’t overdo it. Be careful not to draw attention,” Mu Liang reminded her calmly.

“Oh, right.” Mino suddenly realized. She bit her lip, a hint of anxiety appearing on her face. “But if I don’t set more traps, how will we pay your share of the tax in three days?”

“How many more do I need?” Mu Liang frowned slightly.

Over the past five days, he had learned the camp’s rules: to stay, one had to pay a tax, usually in food.

“Including today’s catch, we still need thirty more lizards.”

Mino lowered her head in disappointment.

In the five days they had spent together, her initial wariness had faded. Mu Liang’s survival skills and the trap he taught her had sparked a sense of reliance and warmth she hadn’t felt in years.

“Have you gathered your share of the tax?” Mu Liang asked indifferently.

Paying the tax wasn’t a problem for him. Once his body recovered, he wouldn’t be catching just lizards.

“I already paid thirty-five lizards earlier. I only need five more,” Mino said softly, her mood subdued.

“Don’t worry. If I can’t pay my tax, I’ll leave,” Mu Liang reassured her.

“What? You’re leaving?”

Mino’s head shot up, her expression filled with alarm. She didn’t know how to make him stay.

“Yes. I’m almost fully recovered.” Mu Liang clenched his fist, testing his strength.

“But there are still three days left! I can definitely gather enough to cover your share of the tax,” Mino said frantically.

Before Mu Liang could reply, she hurried to the corner of the shed. She rummaged through a pile of stones and pulled out a wooden box.

“I still have some dried lizard meat stored here. If I add this, it should be enough to pay your share of the tax.”

Mino opened the wooden box and took out eight pieces of dried lizard meat.

“Put it away. That’s your emergency food.”

Mu Liang squinted slightly, a flicker of emotion stirring within him. He spoke in a low voice, “Don’t forget, I’m an adult. My tax is different from yours.”

Mino’s body stiffened, her voice trembling slightly. “There has to be another way.”

“Why do you want me to stay?”

Mu Liang was curious. “We’ve only known each other for five days. Aren’t you afraid I might be a bad person?”

“I… I don’t know.”

Mino lowered her head, gripping the hem of her clothes tightly.

Suddenly, she remembered something.

“Wait! I have something else that might work.”

Mino rummaged under the bed and emerged, holding a turtle.

“A turtle?”

At that moment, a voice echoed in Mu Liang’s mind:

“Ding! A tameable creature detected. Binding to the Beast Tamer System…”