Star Odyssey

Book 1: Journey to the Stars

Chapter 1: Lu Yin

Lu Yin

Noxious fumes billowed out from the countless cracks that marred the beaten earth, forming a black veil that obscured the red sunset. Tens of thousands of fearful faces trudged forward on a muddy path, their constant sobs accented by the echoing screams of those who fell into the cracks. This river of despair was nominally guarded by a group of cultivators, once-normal people who had now become unimaginably powerful beings half a year after the Apocalypse struck Earth. They were positioned along the path, each a set distance from the previous, and each responsible for their own section.

Near the back of this large group, Lu Yin suddenly looked up towards a large, burning tree in the distance. A hair-raising sound of flesh being ground apart filled the air before being quickly followed by a loud howl. Then, just moments later, a two-meter-long hound with scarlet pupils charged at the group. Many panicked and screamed at the grisly sight of its large jaws dripping with fresh blood, but Lu Yins will remained unflustered as he grabbed an odd weapon hanging from his waist. It seemed to be just a metal rod, but were it sharpened enough, it could eventually become a blade. He jumped forward and smashed the beasts head wide open with a single heavy swing, dyeing the nearby grass red with blood. Only after the group witnessed the wild hounds death did they regain a modicum of calm and quell their fears enough to resume walking.

Seems like it wont be long now, Lu Yin muttered under his breath as he gazed at the cracks that covered his weapon.

The last traces of daylight soon slipped underneath the horizon, prompting the cultivators to halt the procession. Each one then lit a bonfire for those under their care, a meager measure taken in the hopes of frightening away any mutant beasts. Walking in the darkness was certain death.

Third team from the rear, head out and start looking for food sources. Limit the search radius to one kilometer, Lu Yin said through his communicator; his personal identification number was 103. After glancing thoughtfully at the fresh carcass of the hound that he had just killed, he hoisted it up and unceremoniously tossed it to his group.

Eat.

Several men moved forward from the group when they received his command. They soon set to work, exquisitely carving the beast apart so as to roast it, not even wincing once at the strips of human flesh that they had to work around. There was only enough meat for twenty-odd people, however, so Lu Yin grabbed his weapon and headed out to find more.

The squelches of his boot trudging through the mud didnt stop even once, but glowing green eyes lit up in the darkness to stare at him. These were mutant mice; although they were unbearable to look at, they were at least edible. Lu Yin killed about a dozen of them before he obtained enough to feed his group, at which point he returned. Another piercing scream informed him that a fellow cultivator had died, but he had no desire to try to save them; nobody knew what dangers lurked in the darkness, and venomous snakes, infectious mosquitos, and even enormous rats that could chew through metal were common in this areas.

Lu Yin returned to a mute group that was huddled behind the bonfire, as though the pitiful flames would protect them from the countless dangers around them. His gaze shifted towards the dazzling stars in the clear night sky that were no longer polluted by the light and smog of human industry. Of course, that clarity had come with the cost of the mutant beasts arrival.

And mutant humans, too.

Nobody knew just what had triggered it, nor how it had happened to the entire world in just one night. All sorts of creatures had mutated into deadly beasts, and many humans had similarly lost their minds and become walking zombies without a hint of rationality. Those that survived saw a marginal boost to their own strength; while that alone wasnt significant, they had also gained the ability to grow stronger by eating the energy cores of the newly emerged mutant creatures. These survivors had renamed themselves cultivators. The world then seemed to regress into ancient times, where the law of the jungle ruled supreme. Lu Yin had personally witnessed the explosions that had destroyed all of the modern weapons and munitions in his city; it was almost as though this new world order would not allow the existence of such advanced technology.