《Apocalypse: My Technological City has Infinite Upgrades》 Chapter 1 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Welcome to today¡¯s morning news.¡± ¡°According to reports, the melting rate of Antarctic glaciers is increasing, which could lead to global warming. Some creatures could be on the verge of extinction.¡± ¡°According to a famed agricultural scientist in our country, the temperature is getting hotter and hotter, causing certain crops to wither and die. This year¡¯s food supply may be reduced by more than 50%.¡± ¡°According to the observation of the National Space Station, an asteroid is leaving its original orbit for some reason. According to estimates of relevant professionals, there is a 90% chance that it will hit Earth.¡± While watching the series of news headlines on the road side screens, Lorne felt even more hopeless. He was already living a difficult life at the bottom of society, and now the world was going to face a disaster? After experiencing countless hardships, Earth had finally been rebuilt from ruins into a new and prosperous world. Just when everyone thought that they could develop peacefully in this world and live a happy life, the Creator seemed to have played a huge joke on the whole world.. The Federal Space Station had monitored a huge asteroid a few days ago, flying toward Earth. If it hit Earth, the consequences would be unthinkable¡­ This news was soon announced to the public. Because this news could not be hidden, and many astrophiles were observing outer space all the time, so everyone would know sooner or later. Then, the various human settlements began to implement all sorts of protective measures against the disaster and built various shelters. Using the bomb shelters left behind by the previous global upheaval to create shelters to accommodate more humans. Of course, after the Federation announced the establishment of shelters, many tycoons and huge corporations established their own. After all, the shelters established by the Federation were mainly to protect the lives of the people. Some entertainment facilities had to be discounted. After some enterprises built shelters, there would naturally be individuals who built their own shelters, such as those unknown wealthy people. It was said that the shelters established by the rich and powerful could not only guard against the danger of the asteroid, but also had abundant entertainment facilities and sufficient food. Of course, there were also all sorts of beautiful women. It was just like a prosperous world. ¡°It would be great if I could have my own shelter.¡± Lorne couldn¡¯t help but let his imagination run wild before shaking his head. He was just a commoner, how could he have the money to buy the materials required for a shelter? From what he heard, those anti-radiation materials were already priced in the millions. Now, Lorne only had a small house in the suburbs, and this house was not even his. Back then, an old man pitied him and took him in. Later on, when the old man passed away, the house was left to him. In a few days, when the Federation began to move people to the shelters, he would have to follow the majority of people to the shelters. The last bit of wealth left behind by that kind old man was going to be destroyed along with the disaster. Lorne could not help but feel sad at the thought. However, there was nothing he could do about it. He still had to preserve his life. [World: Earth. Disaster detected.] [Detected the arrival of disaster in 20 days.] [Most Powerful Technology City System is being bound.] [Detected Host¡¯s Condition: A weak carbon-based creature. Detected that the Host does not have a place to live. It is not suitable to bind the system. Host, please find your own place to live. System binding degree is 50%.] Just as Lorne was about to return to his little dirt house in the suburbs, a voice spoke in his mind. ¡°A system? Is there really a system in reality? Isn¡¯t that something from a novel?¡± As an extremely poor person, what Lorne used to kill time when he was bored was reading various novels on his ninth-hand phone. Among the novels, his favorites were the ones with the system. Lorne could not help but feel excited. He could not calm down when he thought about the scene in novels where the main character would immediately start rising to the peak after obtaining the system. ¡°System, are you still there?¡± Lorne could not help but ask carefully, afraid that what he had just heard was an illusion. ¡°Yes, host. The system has always been in your mind. You only need to think in your mind, and the system will be able to speak to the host. Please quickly find your own residence to completely bind the system.¡± The mechanical voice of the system sounded in Lorne¡¯s mind again. ¡°It¡¯s actually real. That¡¯s great.¡± Lorne did not feel the mechanical voice of the system was cold. Instead, he was very excited. This meant that he, Lorne, could also survive in this apocalypse and live a colorful life. Then, Lorne remembered that the system had said that he had to find a place to stay as soon as possible for the system to completely bind to him. Lorne started to run quickly towards his small house. It was not easy to have the system, and Lorne did not want to give it up for no reason. Soon, Lorne arrived at his small house in the suburbs. His house was located on a large piece of barren land in the suburbs. Because this place was very desolate before, no one had come to chase the old man away when he built his house here. After the old man died, the house was passed on to Lorne. Lorne naturally took this place as his own. ¡°System, do you think this house can be used for binding?¡± Lorne asked the system nervously in his mind. After all, this piece of land did not belong to him, and he did not know if it would work without a title deed. [Lorne is detected to be the owner of this residence. The system can be bound. May I ask if the host wants to create a surface technology city or underground technology city?] Upon hearing the System¡¯s words, Lorne felt a little relieved. Fortunately, it could be bound. Otherwise, in this chaotic world, he would not know where to find a house that belonged to him. Then, Lorne saw the choice given by the system. Is it better to have the shelter on the ground or underground? Yes, in his eyes, although this system was called the Technology City System, in his heart, it was still a shelter. After all, it was more important to protect his life when the apocalypse came. After hesitating for a while, Lorne chose to create an underground shelter. His thought was very simple. After all, the disaster this time was an asteroid smashing the Earth. If the asteroid came, the ground would definitely be the most affected, and it should be safer underground. [You chose to create the underground technology city. The system is modifying the area.] As the system¡¯s voice sounded in the mind of Lorne, he found that the small mud house before him was shaking. The mud house began to slowly collapse and mix with the soil. Then, the originally flat ground became steep, like a small steep slope. Then, the shaking stopped. A metal door embedded in the ground appeared before Lorne. [Congratulations to the host for completing the production of the underground technology city. You can check the current situation of the technology city on the interface.] A familiar mechanical voice sounded in Lorne¡¯s mind. Upon hearing the System¡¯s voice, Lorne was extremely happy. He now had his own personal shelter. ¡°System, can this metal door prevent radiation?¡± Lorne asked the system excitedly. ¡°This metal is made from special materials. Not only can it prevent radiation, but it can also prevent fire, impact, and shock. Host is completely safe here,¡± the system replied mechanically. ¡°That¡¯s great! I have my own shelter now!¡± Lorne said excitedly. After that, Lorne opened the metal door and looked inside. He wanted to take a look at what was inside the shelter created by the system. ¡°Host, please note that this system is the Most Powerful Technology City System, and it doesn¡¯t just have the function of a shelter.¡± The system was speechless when it sensed Lorne¡¯s thoughts, and it couldn¡¯t help but speak in his mind. ¡°Only with life can technology be developed!¡± Lorne said righteously. ¡®You are clearly afraid of death.¡¯ The system couldn¡¯t help but feel a little helpless toward this cowardly host. As Lorne pushed open the metal door, a staircase made of steel appeared behind it. Then Lorne began to walk down the stairs. When he walked 16 steps, a wide room appeared before Lorne¡¯s eyes. Chapter 2 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Lorne found a switch on the wall and pressed it. Following which, the entire room was illuminated by a strong light. An extremely high-tech room appeared before Lorne¡¯s eyes. Looking at the spacious and secure room, Lorne was extremely surprised. The walls around the room were covered with special metal, just like a sci-fi movie that Lorne had seen in the movie theater. Most likely, even if a meteorite were to strike, it would not be able to cause any damage to it. Lorne looked around the room and realized that the structure of the house was very compact. Even the gaps were linked by this special metal. Furthermore, he found that in this basement, he did not show any signs of oxygen deprivation or suffocation. There were ventilation ducts all around him, which could allow him to breathe easily without feeling damp or cold. There was also plenty of empty space in the room for him to store all sorts of survival resources. ¡°System, what is this room for?¡± Lorne asked curiously. He found a room with a closed door. There were four words written on the outside: R & D Center. ¡°This system is known as the Most Powerful Technology City System, so it definitely needs technology that others don¡¯t have. This R&D Center is used for research and development. As long as you have the points, you can get all the technology that you want,¡± the system said proudly in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that the mechas in the sci-fi movies can also be developed?¡± Lorne felt his saliva seep out as he fantasized in his mind. When he was watching those sci-fi movies in the cinema in the past, Lorne had fantasized more than once about how great it would be if he had such a mech. ¡°As long as the host can think of it, the system can fulfill it. However, the points that the host needs for mechas are far beyond what you can afford right now,¡± the system said in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°What does it matter? One day, it will be done. People have to have dreams,¡± Lorne retorted in his mind. After all, every boy had a dream about mecha. ¡°By the way, System, what are these points you¡¯re talking about? How can I obtain them?¡± Lorne realized that the System had repeatedly mentioned these points in its words, and it seemed that everything the System did required these points. ¡°There¡¯s a certain chance that you¡¯ll get points for what you do every day. Points can be used to upgrade anything in the system, or to upgrade the technology city as a whole, so that you¡¯ll have a greater assurance in the apocalypse,¡± the system replied. ¡°Then how many points do I have now?¡± Feeling the importance of points, Lorne asked the system curiously in his mind. ¡°You can open the interface in your mind and see your attributes and points.¡± ¡°Open my interface.¡± Lorne quickly recited in his mind. Then, a screen appeared in Lorne¡¯s mind. [Level One Technology City (Upgradeable)] Countdown to Apocalypse: 20 days Owner: Lorne Points: 100 Living facilities; living room (Upgradeable) bathroom (Upgradeable) kitchen (Upgradeable) bedroom (Upgradeable)¡­ Note: Host can spend points to upgrade the items in the technology city. You can also spend points to expand the technology city. However, depending on the level of upgrade, the points consumed will also be different. Lorne understood from the explanation given by the system on the screen that this thing was like a game that could use points to upgrade one¡¯s residence and various facilities. ¡°System, why do I have 100 points now?¡± Lorne looked at his 100 points balance on the light screen and asked the system in confusion. ¡°Because this is the first time the host has bound the system, the system has rewarded the host with 100 points. Please work harder and upgrade the technology city as soon as possible,¡± the system said. ¡°I see! But why is the reward for the first binding only 100 points? Why didn¡¯t you give me 500 points?¡± Lorne immediately understood after hearing the system¡¯s explanation. However, he quickly understood the importance of points to himself. The more points, the better. ¡°The system generates points for the host¡¯s actions and will calculate the points at 12 o¡¯clock every day. Moreover, the system will issue missions at random times, and the mission rewards include points or other rewards. Please don¡¯t be unreasonable,¡± the system said in Lorne¡¯s mind with disdain. ¡°How can I enter the R&D Center?¡± Lorne saw that the system had exposed his intention to take advantage of it, but he did not dwell on this matter since he was used to being thick-skinned. He quickly changed the topic. Lorne also realized that there was no one guarding the R&D Center, so he asked the system curiously. ¡°Please aim your eyes at the peephole on the door. The R&D Center uses retina verification to confirm your identity. The door of the R&D Center will only open after confirming your retina,¡± the system replied calmly. ¡°Is it that advanced?¡± After listening to the system, Lorne opened his eyes and aimed at the peephole on the door of the R&D Center. After a gentle light scanned his eye, the door of the R&D Center slowly opened. As the door opened, Lorne quickly saw what was in the room. There was a large central computer in the middle of the R&D Center. The system explained to Lorne that the entire R&D Center was controlled by this computer, and that this computer¡¯s defense was very high. Even if you bombarded it with a high-powered cannon, it would not explode. ¡°If you want to create weapons, you do not need to do it yourself. As long as you have the blueprints and materials, the central computer will help you.¡± After hearing that, Lorne nodded in satisfaction. If he had to create such a complicated weapon himself, he would probably never be able to create those high-tech combat suits in his life. ¡°Then how do I get the blueprint?¡± Lorne asked again. ¡°The host can spend points to unlock the blueprints in the central computer. If the central computer doesn¡¯t have the blueprints that the host needs, the host can also spend points to get the central computer to help create it.¡± ¡°Do you have a blueprint for crossbows?¡± Lorne asked the central computer. He received the following information. [Wooden Crossbow (5 points)] [Iron Crossbow (10 points)] [Alloy Crossbow (15 points)] ¡­ Looking at the variety of crossbows on the computer screen, Lorne was very envious. After all, men liked powerful weapons. Then, he quickly unlocked the wooden crossbow blueprint. Don¡¯t ask Lorne why he chose the cheapest crossbow. There should have been some iron materials in his mud house, but after the system upgrade, they were all buried in the soil. Now, the most convenient material he could find was wood. After unlocking the blueprint, Lorne quickly went to the wasteland outside and broke some wood. Lorne quickly returned to the underground R&D Center and placed the wood into a covered work table beside the central computer. Then he instructed the central computer to start the construction of the wooden crossbow. Immediately after, the wood on the work table was enveloped by a ball of light, making it impossible to see what was happening. A few seconds later, an exquisite wooden crossbow appeared in front of Lorne. He reached down and picked it up. The crossbow was brownish-yellow in color, and its strings were made of an unknown material, but it looked quite powerful. Lorne picked up the crossbow bolts which came as a set, and loaded it onto the crossbow. The entire process was very easy. He walked out of the basement with the crossbow in his hand. After reaching the ground, he slowly aimed the crossbow at a large tree beside the basement and pulled the trigger. Whoosh The bolt flew out and landed on the tree. Lorne walked to the tree and saw that one-third of the bolt had sunk into the tree. This bolt was made of wood! If it were to hit a person who did not have any protective guards, it should be able to shoot through the person. However, it seemed that only the system¡¯s specially-made crossbow bolts could do that. Lorne discovered this problem after a careful observation. However, this did not stop Lorne from praising the system, ¡°Awesome.¡± He looked at the crossbow in his hand and then at that bolt in the tree. He got a brilliant idea to make money. Chapter 3 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Now that he had a personal shelter, what he needed to do was to collect all the necessary supplies to ensure that he could survive comfortably during the apocalypse. But now, his problem was how to exchange for survival resources. He was just a commoner and did not have the money to buy a lot of supplies. Furthermore, the prices of survival supplies were skyrocketing. It was not something he could afford. Even if he had money, things like bottled water and those emergency rations and instant noodles were already in high demand. It was hard to buy them even with money. The wooden crossbow made by the system allowed Lorne to discover an opportunity to obtain survival resources. He didn¡¯t have any money, but he could use this wooden crossbow to exchange for survival supplies. Also, in the near-apocalyptic era, some people would be willing to trade for weapons that weren¡¯t prohibited in the country. Also, since Lorne did not have a fixed residence before, he met many people who sold survival supplies when he was wandering outside. He could exchange the wooden crossbow with those people for survival supplies. As soon as he decided that, he immediately started searching for wood in the desolate forest. Fortunately, this piece of land had not been targeted by the developers before, so the ecology here was still relatively good. It was also very easy to obtain wood. Soon, Lorne collected a lot of wood and transported them back to his technology city to make wooden crossbows. ¡­ At this moment, the conference room of Earth¡¯s Federation was filled with tension and anger. ¡°According to many famous astronomers in our country, we can confirm that there is indeed a huge asteroid approaching the Earth.¡± ¡°Also, after careful calculation by our astronomers, we can confirm that the asteroid will intersect with Earth¡¯s orbit in 20 days, which means that it will hit Earth in 20 days.¡± ¡°If this asteroid hits Earth, the heat generated by the friction between the asteroid and our Earth¡¯s atmosphere can form a wall of fire that will burn everything within thousands of kilometers.¡± ¡°And this is only the beginning. The trouble that follows is the destruction of Earth¡¯s ecosystem, the destruction of the atmosphere, and the exposure to the solar flares. ¡°It will make our surface land unsuitable for human survival. We humans may return to the prehistoric Ice Age.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear the consequences of this incident. I want to know that after these few days of discussion, have we come up with a feasible plan?¡± a representative asked. ¡°After the discussions and calculations of many of our experts over the past few days, we believe that the only viable solution is to destroy this asteroid. Or, we can deviate it from its trajectory so that it will not intersect with our planet. Based on this idea, we have three options.¡± ¡°Plan A is for us to send astronauts to install a propulsion device on the asteroid when it is about to reach orbit, so that it can change its course. Plan B: We can lock on to this asteroid and install a heavyweight nuclear bomb on it. However, compared to Plan A, we only need to place this nuclear bomb on it, then let it explode and let the nuclear bomb push this asteroid to the side. Although there is a certain possibility of shattering the asteroid and the smaller ones will still land on Earth, compared to an entire asteroid striking the Earth, I think all the countries can bear this result.¡± ¡°Plan C: Concentrate the nuclear power of all the countries on this asteroid and shatter it. After the fragments pass through the atmosphere, they will begin to burn. When they reach Earth, the damage caused will be insignificant.¡± ¡°But the difficulty of this plan is that with our current technology, we can¡¯t launch a strike in space.¡± ¡°I think the third plan is feasible. Our country is willing to take out all nuclear weapons.¡± At this moment, a valiant-looking man stood up and said. ¡°But if our strike is not accurate enough, or if the nuclear bombs do not blow up this asteroid, then what Earth will attract will be a destructive impact.¡± Upon hearing this, another person stood out to refute and express his opinion. Then, several major country representatives began to speak and express their views. After a few hours of discussion, they finally reached an agreement. They decided to carry out three plans at the same time! The matter concerned the survival of their planet. The barriers between the various countries seemed insignificant. While the Federation was coming up with a plan. Lorne had made five crossbows and made some bolts for each of them. Lorne did not intend to exchange the crossbow bolts given by the system. That was because he realized that compared to ordinary bolts, this crossbow bolt was at least several times more powerful. Furthermore, crossbow bolts were consumables. It was better to hold them for any unexpected situations. Therefore, it was naturally better to store as many of these things as possible. Lorne carved some homemade crossbow bolts with wood and planned to sell them in exchange for supplies. He brought the items to the city center and started walking towards the shantytown. This time, he was looking for a reseller called Old Black. He was quite famous in the shantytown. When the apocalypse was first announced, he had stored a large amount of supplies. Therefore, Lorne was sure that he could get what he wanted. After walking into the shantytown, Lorne quickly saw the person he was looking for. In front of him was a short fat man with glasses who was peddling instant noodles to others. ¡°The instant noodles you have here are way too expensive. The price for each packet is actually $200. Isn¡¯t this the kind that we normally get for two dollars per packet? You¡¯ve increased it by 100 times now?¡± The young man in front of Old Black shouted at him. ¡°Is $200 expensive? And that¡¯s only for now. In a few days, you won¡¯t be able to buy it even if you have money. You are talking about normally, but is it normal now? The apocalypse is coming soon. I don¡¯t even know if money will be of any use by then,¡± said Old Black slowly. ¡°If you want to buy it, then buy it. If you don¡¯t want to buy it, then hurry up and leave,¡± Old Black said to him impatiently after seeing Lorne. In the end, the man took out $10,000 to buy 50 packets of instant noodles and left. ¡°Old Black, your business is doing well.¡± After the man left, Lorne smiled and said to Old Black. ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not bad, but these days won¡¯t last long. We won¡¯t be so comfortable when the disaster strikes.¡± Old Black said to him with a smile. Clearly, the two of them knew each other and had a good relationship. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I want to exchange some survival supplies with you.¡± As he spoke, Lorne showed Old Black the crossbows he had brought. ¡°Good stuff. What do you want to exchange them for?¡± Old Black did not ask how these things came about and directly asked him what supplies he needed. ¡°I need food and water,¡± Lorne stated his purpose directly. Chapter 4 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Then, Lorne took out his crossbow bolts and demonstrated its power, making Old Black very happy. ¡°If you have these things, I can give you six boxes of instant noodles and five barrels of mineral water. I¡¯ll give you an additional 25 kilograms of fruit. What do you think?¡± Lorne knew that the price was fair, so he nodded and agreed. ¡°Do you want me to send these supplies to your place or do you want to bring them yourself? If you want to bring them yourself, I can lend you a loading tricycle. You can bring it back later,¡± Old Black said. ¡°I¡¯ll take them back myself. Thank you, Uncle Black. Also, Uncle Black, this is for you. When you encounter danger, install this crossbow bolt on the crossbow I gave you. The power is much higher.¡± Lorne handed a system-made crossbow bolt to Old Black.. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re really something. This bolt is so exquisite. What special material is it?¡± Old Black asked with a smile. ¡°Ha ha, just a few little things, Uncle Black, I¡¯ll be off then,¡± said Lorne, and he rode the tricycle towards his residence with the supplies he had obtained. Soon, Lorne returned to his shelter and moved the supplies in. However, he looked at the 25 kilograms of fruit and felt worried. The freezer in the shelter that the system gave him was relatively small, so he could not put all the fruits inside. If he kept the fruits outside for a long time, they might spoil and be wasted. However, fruits were an essential resource. Lorne suddenly remembered the system¡¯s words. It said that he could use points to upgrade the items in his residence. ¡°System, can I expand the capacity of this freezer?¡± Lorne asked the system in his mind. ¡°If the host keeps looking at a certain item, its upgrade options will appear.¡± After hearing the system¡¯s answer, Lorne immediately focused his gaze on the small freezer in front of him. [Normal freezer] Upgrade Direction 1: Expand the freezer volume (10 points) Upgrade Direction 2: Increase the quality of the freezer so that the food stored in the freezer will never rot (50 points) Soon, the options of upgrading the freezer appeared in Lorne¡¯s eyes. Previously, he had used 30 points to make wooden crossbows. The system had given him 100 points, so he should still have 70 points now. Although Lorne wanted to increase both the size and the quality of the freezer, it was obvious that his points did not allow him to do so. Lorne felt that he should reserve some points in case he needed them for something else. After all, the importance of points went without saying. Lorne chose the upgrade direction 1. As he confirmed the choice, the small freezer in front of him suddenly distorted, and a few seconds later, it turned into a freezer with a capacity ten times larger. Although he had seen the magical aspects of the system many times, Lorne was still very surprised when he saw it again. As the size of the freezer increased, Lorne easily placed the fruit inside. Looking at the supplies in his shelter, he frowned slightly. These things were still too little. They were not enough for him to cope with his daily needs if he needed to stay in the shelter for a long time in the future. He gathered all the assets he had accumulated over the years. There was a total of $5468. It seemed that he could not even buy a box of instant noodles with this amount of money. Lorne thought helplessly. ¡°If I can¡¯t buy the finished products, then I can grow them myself. System, is there a place in the shelter where I can grow vegetables and fruits?¡± Lorne thought for a long time before coming up with this idea. Then, he immediately asked the System. ¡°I¡¯ll repeat myself. This system is the Most Powerful Technology City System. It¡¯s not a shelter, it¡¯s a technology city,¡± the system roared in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°Okay, okay, okay. It¡¯s a technology city, a technology city.¡± Lorne felt a little awkward when he heard the system¡¯s shout, so he quickly corrected himself. ¡°As the Most Powerful Technology City System, the system naturally took this into consideration when building it. The room behind the R&D Center is a special greenhouse that can grow vegetables and fruits. Inside, you can grow any vegetables and fruits that you need.¡± ¡°This is too amazing. As expected of the Most Powerful Technology City System.¡± Upon hearing the system¡¯s words, Lorne appeared very happy, and did not forget to compliment the system. Then Lorne rode his loading tricycle into the city center. In his mind, his money should be enough to buy the seeds of many fruits and vegetables. Meanwhile, in the vast outer space, the moon was still circling around Earth as usual. However, not far away, there was an asteroid rushing towards Earth. ¡°If our plans are not carried out perfectly, then we humans might experience the great catastrophe of the dinosaur era. It¡¯s not impossible for us to go extinct.¡± The three spacecraft prepared by the Federation were flying towards space with the tools needed for this plan. They were carrying the hope of the entire world. Whether the plan succeeded or not, they could not avoid death. Compared to the survival of Earth, they had already disregarded their individual life and death. The pilots this time were undoubtedly great characters. They wanted to stop this catastrophe with their own flesh and blood. Two spacecraft were slowly flying towards the asteroid to execute Plan A and B. They needed to successfully lock onto the asteroid and place nuclear bombs or thrusters on it. They needed to be at the same speed as the asteroid before they could land on it and perform their delicate operations. But as the two spacecraft slowly approached the asteroid, they faced the first difficulty. They were unable to approach the asteroid because it had been moving for dozens of days. Therefore, there were many different kinds of space debris around the asteroid, blocking their way. Chapter 5 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Just as the command center was thinking about how to solve the problem of the spacecraft, Lorne arrived at the city center to buy seeds of vegetables and fruits. There was hardly anyone on the street. All the shops were closed. The few people on the streets were moving in a hurry. They were preparing to enter the shelter and wait for the disaster. Lorne searched for a long time. Finally, at the end of the street, he saw a seed shop still open. When he saw that the shop owner was packing up and preparing to leave, he quickly walked forward. ¡°Boss, do you still have seeds here?¡± Hearing someone call him, the boss was shocked.. He scratched his head and realized that it was a customer. ¡°Yes, there are.¡± Seeds were the final failsafe in a disaster. When the Federation knew that a disaster was coming, they released a lot of seeds just so that everyone would have a chance to help themselves. The shop owner quickly brought over a large bag of seeds. ¡°Boss, how much is this?¡± Lorne was pleasantly surprised to see the owner take out all kinds of seeds and put them into a big bag. ¡°Forget it, I won¡¯t charge you. These seeds are the last remaining stock in the shop, so I¡¯ll give them all to you.¡± ¡°I hope these seeds can help you during the apocalypse. I have to pack my things and go to the shelter.¡± The boss waved his hand at Lorne and said nonchalantly. With regards to this, Lorne was not overly pretentious. After walking out, he headed straight for his shelter. With the impending disaster, it was as if everything before was no longer as important. Only life was most precious. In space. ¡°Headquarters, this is Spacecraft No. 1. A large amount of space debris has been found around the asteroid.¡± The pilot of the spacecraft reported everything to the Earth¡¯s command center. ¡°Spacecraft No. 3 will use the spare nuclear bombs to blow up the space debris surrounding the asteroid to ensure that the spacecraft can successfully carry out the operation.¡± After the headquarters received the notification from Spacecraft No.1, they gave a solution. ¡°Roger that.¡± Spacecraft No. 3 quickly received instructions from headquarters, and then began to launch the spare nuclear bombs on it. The nuclear bombs soon blossomed in space. As the nuclear bomb exploded, the space debris surrounding the asteroid was quickly blown away. The other two spacecraft rushed towards the asteroid. Spacecraft No. 1 successfully landed first and began installing thrusters. Things were going well, and the thrusters were installed. Then, the next task was for Spacecraft No. 2 to install the nuclear bombs from a different angle. If Spacecraft No.1 was unable to push the asteroid away, then the headquarters would detonate the nuclear bombs and blow the asteroid to pieces. Then, the nuclear bombs on the ground would launch a destructive strike to reduce the danger brought by the asteroid fragments. The thrusters began to move, and the tail began to spout violent flames. On the large screen at the headquarters, the orbit of the asteroid that was supposed to fly towards Earth was slowly deviating. Just when everyone in the command center thought that they would be able to complete the mission perfectly with only Plan A and survive this disaster¡­ The asteroid on the big screen slowly returned to its orbit. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± The highest commandant in the headquarters shouted at the scientists who had designed the thrusters. ¡°The environment in space is too complicated. With our current technology, we can¡¯t guarantee that we can successfully operate the thrusters in the universe.¡± ¡°The current situation seems to be because the propulsion force is not enough to push this asteroid away, and this asteroid is constantly being pulled by the gravitational pull of Earth, so it slowly returned to its orbit,¡± the research team leader explained to the commander-in-chief. ¡°Implement Plan B immediately and blow up the asteroid.¡± The commander-in-chief nodded. He understood the current situation as well. This was not the time to argue about their technology research. The commander-in-chief, who had experienced a lot, immediately activated Plan B. ¡°Roger.¡± The people controlling the nuclear bombs¡¯ activation quickly activated the nuclear bombs installed on the asteroid. With the activation of the technicians, the asteroid in space quickly emitted a dazzling light. ¡°It exploded.¡± Through the images on the road side screen, Lorne quickly saw the huge asteroid turn into three smaller ones. The successful implementation of Plan B gave everyone in the command center confidence. They were also cheering. The failure of Plan A had made them despair. Fortunately, they finally succeeded. ¡°It¡¯s not time to celebrate yet.¡± The commander-in-chief said with a calm expression. Even though he also was extremely excited in his heart, he knew that the danger was not over yet. It was just that the danger of Earth being destroyed had now become the danger of several parts of Earth being pierced through. This danger was still catastrophic for humans. Meanwhile, the people in the command center regained their composure after hearing the commander-in-chief¡¯s words. That¡¯s right, the danger was not over yet. The technicians responsible for monitoring the asteroid became even more vigilant. They increased their surveillance on the asteroid to ensure that Plan C could perfectly shatter the asteroid into pieces. ¡°Use all the nuclear bombs we can currently use to ensure that these three asteroid fragments are blown to pieces,¡± the commander-in-chief said loudly to everyone in the command center. Success or failure depended on this. The technician responsible for launching the nuclear bombs was also very nervous. The life and death of Earth depended on this button. ¡°Fire.¡± Following the commander-in-chief¡¯s command, the technician pressed the button. From the broadcast, it could be seen that the nuclear bombs in every country had begun to rise into the air under the rocket¡¯s propulsion. ¡°So many nuclear bombs should be enough to blast these asteroids into smithereens,¡± thought everyone in the command center as they watched the asteroids rise into the sky. Chapter 6 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios While all this was going on, Lorne was bringing the seeds back to his technology city. He was going to study the cultivation of the seeds and then quietly wait for the arrival of the disaster in his technology city. ¡°System, if I want to grow fruits and vegetables in technology city, what water should I use to irrigate them?¡± Lorne looked at the large bag of seeds in his hand and asked the system anxiously. ¡°Host, you can dig a well in the greenhouse and upgrade it with points.¡± ¡°You still need points. Can¡¯t you give it to me for free?¡± Lorne asked in dissatisfaction when he heard the system¡¯s reply. ¡°This isn¡¯t within the service range of the system,¡± the mechanical voice of the system said in Lorne¡¯s head. ¡°Fine, you win.¡± Lorne felt a little helpless.. Even if he did not grow fruits and vegetables, he had to consider his drinking water. The water that he had exchanged for with crossbows were only enough for a short period. ¡°I can make some tools to create the water drawing device, then I just need to upgrade it with points.¡± After pondering over the soil for a long time, Lorne finally gave up on the idea of digging a well by himself. His small arms and legs could not complete this task. After a good while, he finally thought of this method. Although it would cost him some points, the problem of water would finally be solved. Lorne went to the R & D center and took out the wood that was leftover after making the crossbows. First, he made a rough wooden bucket. Then, he made a wooden shovel. He knew that the wood could be of great use in the shelter, so he had collected a lot. He came to the greenhouse and looked at the soil in the greenhouse. Lorne started to dig a hole with his shovel and put the bucket down. The water drawing equipment that he had imagined was complete. Then, Lorne focused on his masterpiece. Lorne did not know if this method would work, but he could only give it a try. Fortunately, a line of words quickly appeared in Lorne¡¯s sight. [Useless Water Drawing Device] [Water Drawing Efficiency: 0ml / day] Upgrade direction: Deepen the well hole to draw water (10 points). Note: Does the host want to fill this wood with the water in his brain? Lorne felt somewhat embarrassed when he read the notation on the interface. But after seeing the upgrade plan provided by the system, he instantly became happy. He knew that this method was useful. Although he needed to use 10 points, he could still afford it. Lorne quickly chose to upgrade the device. With his confirmation, the pit in front of him began to glow. A few seconds later, the light disappeared and the pit in front of Lorne turned into a deep pit. Water flowed out from the bottom of the pit. Then, Lorne looked at the newly upgraded water drawing device. [A simple and crude water drawing device] [Water Drawing Efficiency: 2000ml / day] Upgrade direction 1: Upgrade the well¡¯s material and increase the sealing and disinfectant function, allowing water to be drunk. (30 points) Upgrade direction 2: Expand the depth of the well to increase the efficiency of water extraction. (50 points) Note: If the host does not want to go to the toilet 15 times a day, it is best to choose plan 1. Lorne was excited to see water flowing out. However, after observing for a while, he realized that there were too many impurities in the water. The water was yellow in color, and drinking it should be harmful to the human body. However, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the upgrade plan. Although he needed 30 points, it was still acceptable to deal with the issue of water. Lorne confirmed the upgrade plan 1. Soon, the upgrade of the water drawing device was completed. The water looked clear and clean. It was not as crude as the first upgrade. Lorne drank a glass of the well water and found no unusual taste. It was even slightly sweet. The drinking water crisis was over. At the same time, Lorne¡¯s points decreased from 60 to 20. Currently, he had enough drinking water. He would wait for his points to be settled today and then slowly accumulate his points before upgrading the water drawing efficiency. ¡­¡­. The atmosphere in the command center was extremely solemn. The commander-in-chief looked at the image transmitted from space on the big screen as all the nuclear bombs rose into the air. The first nuclear bomb made contact with an asteroid fragment and emitted white light. Then, the other nuclear bombs also hit the asteroid fragments, and the dazzling white light quickly covered all the screens. After a few seconds, the screens were restored to normal. From the images, it could be seen that the previous three asteroid fragments had all been hit by nuclear bombs. The three fragments were burning fiercely, like a fireball that was slowly expanding. Soon, they would turn into powder. Seeing this scene, the people in the command center were slightly excited, because this was the result of nuclear bombs hitting the asteroid fragments. At this moment, one of the researchers said, ¡°There is something wrong with the power output.¡± Before the researcher finished speaking, everyone saw that the fireballs on the live stream only shattered into smaller fireballs and accelerated towards Earth. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Several leaders roared angrily. Their hope was extinguished right before their eyes. ¡°I know, it¡¯s because nuclear bombs can¡¯t be detonated at the same time. Therefore, when the first nuclear bomb hit the asteroid fragment, it detonated and destroyed all the activation devices of the nuclear bombs that came later, causing the nuclear bombs that came later to not explode. That¡¯s why the power seems so small. This is because we didn¡¯t have the experience of triggering multiple nuclear bombs at the same time.¡± The researcher quickly figured out the reason. ¡°Is there any other solution?¡± The commander-in-chief asked the researcher with a somewhat distressed tone. ¡°I am very sorry, but there is nothing we can do now. We have already used all of our nuclear reserves on Plan C.¡± ¡°Even if we have nuclear bombs, the current distance does not allow us to carry out nuclear attacks,¡± the researcher said with a pained expression. ¡°Announce it to the whole world. Let the people begin to enter the shelters. Now it¡¯s time to preserve the fire of humanity.¡± ¡°In addition, our researchers will work harder and calculate the various impacts of the asteroid fragments. We need to calculate as many things as we can and minimize the human casualties. After saying that, the commander-in-chief slumped into his chair like a deflated ball. This was a crisis that concerned the entire human race. The news, television, and news were all broadcasting this news. The shabby little radio station in Lorne¡¯s house received the same broadcast. Upon hearing the voice coming from the radio station, Lorne¡¯s initial joy of resolving the water crisis vanished without a trace. Was disaster finally coming? Chapter 7 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios A few days later. If someone was outside at this moment, he would definitely be able to appreciate the rare scenery. There were many scarlet flames in the sky falling towards different locations on Earth. The beautiful Earth was about to disappear. After the baptism of the asteroid, people would only see ruins in the future. Boom! There were loud noises. A terrifying tremor suddenly began. The earth shook. There were also various explosions and the sound of houses collapsing.. The entire Earth seemed to be shaking as the asteroid fragments fell. Countless people fainted at this moment. Lorne, who was sitting in his technology city, also felt the tremors. He could also feel a wave of air hitting him from all directions. In an instant, Lorne also fainted. Before losing consciousness, Lorne only thought of one thing. Wasn¡¯t this secret chamber supposed to prevent tremors? An hour passed. Lorne suddenly moved his fingers and slowly opened his eyes. He struggled to sit up on the ground and held his head. Now that he was awake, he wanted to complain about his system. ¡°System, what¡¯s going on? I want to file a complaint. Didn¡¯t you say that it can prevent tremors? Why am I still knocked out?¡± Lorne questioned the system angrily. ¡°The shock prevention System mentioned before is based on the average physical fitness of an adult carbon-based creature on Earth. The host¡¯s physical fitness is lower than the average man on Earth. That¡¯s why he fainted.¡± ¡°If you use the numbers commonly used on Earth, a normal male adult would have a physical fitness of 5 points, while the host only has 3 points. I suggest that the host should do hand exercise less and train more,¡± the system said in Lorne¡¯s mind. Lorne¡¯s face turned red. Did he want to do hand exercise? In the past, he was just a poor person. How could he have the money to find a girlfriend? But now that he obtained this system, he should be able to reach the peak of his life. ¡°System, check the current situation of my residence.¡± Lorne was too embarrassed to argue. He quickly shifted his attention to the current situation of his residence. [Congratulations to the host for successfully passing the impact of the asteroid.] [Achievement: Live through Earth¡¯s first crisis.] [Received system reward: All attributes+3] [The Most Powerful Technology City System is officially activated. The system will help the host establish the most powerful technology city.] [The System Shop is open. Host can use materials, metals, and various resources and technology points to exchange for various items in the System Shop.] [Host, the reward for surviving the asteroid disaster is 90 points.] [Remaining points: 110 points] [Through the upgrade of the system, the technology city is in good condition. It is not damaged by the impact of the asteroid. The only accident is that the host fainted due to the shock.] Lorne was quite happy to hear that. But when he heard the last sentence, Lorne¡¯s face instantly darkened. Wasn¡¯t he just a little unconscious? Wasn¡¯t it because his body was just a little weak? Did it have to emphasize it so many times? ¡°System, didn¡¯t you reward all attributes with three points because I survived the asteroid disaster? Add them all now.¡± When Lorne heard the system¡¯s mockery, he remembered that the reward for surviving the asteroid disaster seemed to be to improve his physical fitness, so he immediately told the system. As soon as Lorne finished speaking, he felt a wave of energy coming from his body, slowly nourishing his body. After a minute, the energy slowly faded away. Lorne felt that his body had become exceptionally healthy. He felt that he could now fight ten of his previous selves. ¡°System, show me my character panel.¡± [Most Powerful Technology City System] [Host: Lorne] Strength: 6 Speed: 6 Spirit: 6 Points: 127 Looking at his stats on the interface, Lorne was very satisfied. After improving his physical fitness, Lorne slowly observed his surroundings. It was pitch black. At this moment, he really needed something to light up the way. Hence, he took out a ball pen from his pocket and looked at it. Soon, the information that Lorne wanted to see appeared before him. ¡°Cheap ball pen.¡± ¡°Upgrade direction 1: Upgrade the material of the ball pen and increase its lighting feature. It can dispel all darkness within five meters (3 points).¡± ¡°Upgrade direction 2: Upgrade the ball pen material, increase the hardness of the ball pen and turn it into a powerful wilderness survival tool (5 points).¡± Lorne reached out and tapped on the upgrade direction 1. Instantly, Lorne realized that the points on his interface had decreased by 3 points to 124 points. The ball pen also twisted and turned into a brand new ball pen. A beam of light shot out from the ball pen, instantly illuminating the area around Lorne. Lorne had always kept this ball pen with him. He could not help but sigh at his foresight. Relying on the light from the pen, he successfully found the generator in the residence and began running it. About five minutes later, the residence regained its light. Lorne checked the various equipment in the residence and found that they were intact like the system said. He remembered that the system said that he could upgrade his residence with materials and points. Thus, Lorne turned his attention to the door of the residence. This was the main guarantee of his future safety. Soon, a message appeared on the door. [Technology City Iron Door] Effect: It can prevent most disasters from affecting the residence. It should be enough for the host for now. Upgrade direction 1: Increase the thickness of the iron gate. Requires 10 points. (If the host provides 5 units of iron, then only 5 technology points.) Upgrade Direction 2: Transform the gate¡¯s material from iron to alloy. Requires 30 points. (Requires the host to provide another type of metal other than iron. The amount of metal provided by the host will gradually decrease the number of technology points required.) Looking at the words that appeared in front of him, Lorne understood the usage of the system after upgrading. Apart from relying on technology points to upgrade items, they could also be upgraded by providing the system with materials, reducing the technology points needed for upgrading. This meant that Lorne would need to search for metal materials outside in the future. But that was good. Lorne didn¡¯t want to stay in the shelter all day. Loneliness was scary. Lorne was not about to go out now, though. After all, the asteroid had just landed. There must be flames everywhere outside. And there should be radiation as well. Chapter 8 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios While Lorne was living comfortably, the people crowded in the government shelters were not. The living space allocated to each family in the government shelter was very small. Moreover, the beds in the government shelter were all made of iron frames. A metal bunk bed with two wooden planks on it formed two beds. It was only enough for resting. Comfort was out of the question. As people¡¯s standard of living continued to improve, it was undoubtedly a torture for modern people to live in such small and crude rooms. Furthermore, the environment of the shelter was extremely harsh. After all, a shelter had tens of thousands of people living in it. The government would only prioritize preserving their lives, and would not be so meticulous in other aspects.. For example, the problem of going to the toilet. There were so many people in the shelter. It was impossible to provide for all of them at once. The scene in the toilets was the same as a public toilet that was not cleaned or maintained. Another problem was the use of water. Lorne himself only solved it today. The government had made changes to the shelters, and it was certain that there would be usable water. However, it could not be guaranteed how long it could last. Therefore, it had to be used moderately. After all, it was already good enough to survive in the post-apocalyptic era. ¡­. After the meal, Lorne cleaned up the dishes and the residence. He took a sip of water from a bottle and placed it aside. The environment outside was not very safe yet, and Lorne did not want to go out just to deal with some trash. Therefore, Lorne placed the trash bag in a corner. He wanted to wait for the situation to stabilize before throwing it outside. As his current life was pretty good, Lorne did not have any thoughts about going outside. After eating, Lorne strolled around his level one technology city. But soon, Lorne felt bored. After all, this place was only so big. He finished his tour in a short while. After strolling around, Lorne felt that even if he moved while closing his eyes in this residence, he would not crash into anything. For a modern person, a world without food delivery and the internet was colorless. Although Lorne was a poor man, he was also a young man from the modern era. Therefore, he had a habit of surfing the internet. It would be very difficult to get used to the apocalypse life without the internet. After walking around the house for a long time, Lorne realized that his residence was really boring. Then, he came up with a way to quickly pass his boring time. Lorne quickly stopped walking and returned to his bedroom from the living room. He covered his head with the blanket and began to sleep. In the post-apocalyptic life, Lorne had the system and was able to live a more relaxed and comfortable life than others. However, Lorne had been in a state of high tension. Although the system seemed very powerful, Lorne had not been sure if it could withstand the disaster. Only now did Lorne relax. That was why he slept soundly. In his sleep, Lorne felt as though he had returned to the world before the disaster struck. The city was lively and crowds of people moved in the streets. Most importantly, there were hot girls in the crowd. While Lorne was drooling over the long legs in his dream, he heard a familiar mechanical voice. The beautiful scene shattered. Lorne opened his eyes and woke up. What he saw was the pitch-black underground residence. Lorne smiled bitterly. In the future, he could only see the once-prosperous city in his dreams. Lorne immersed himself in his thoughts again. The system seemed to have sent him a lot of messages while he was asleep. [Congratulations to the host for successfully surviving the first day of the apocalypse. Points+30] [The host has built a water drawing device. It can continuously draw water. The host¡¯s water needs are guaranteed. Points+10] [The host had a delicious dinner to maintain the joy of his body and mind. Points+10] [The host has experienced a good sleep, and is more energetic. Points+20] [After calculation, the host¡¯s actions yesterday earned a total of 70 points.] [Remaining points: 194] Through the system notification, Lorne realized that a day had passed. He wondered how the outside world was now. However, when Lorne saw the points on the interface, his expression gradually relaxed. ¡°I gained a total of 70 points yesterday. The method of obtaining points doesn¡¯t seem to be fixed. However, there¡¯s no doubt that as time passes, my points will also slowly rise.¡± Lorne considered the rules of obtaining points in his mind, but he still could not figure it out. He only confirmed that the points would increase every day. Lorne smacked his head. If he couldn¡¯t figure it out, then he wouldn¡¯t think about it anymore. He took out the ball pen he had upgraded earlier and followed the light to the power generator. After a while, Lorne¡¯s residence lit up again. Lorne looked at the generator in front of him and wondered if he should upgrade it. After all, it would be too troublesome to run it manually every day. Besides, if he upgraded some furniture that needed electricity in the future, this power generator wouldn¡¯t be enough. With this in mind, Lorne began to look at the power generator in front of him. Soon, he saw the upgrade information of the power generator. [Level 1 generator] Upgrade plan 1: Upgrade the material of the device and increase the power output, allowing the device to generate more electricity. (20 points) Upgrade plan 2: Change the structure of the generator so that the device can operate automatically. There is no need for the host to start it. (30 points) Lorne looked at the two options in front of him. The two functions the system had given him were what he needed right now. In addition, he had just settled his points today, so the remaining points seemed to be quite sufficient. Hence, with a wave of his hand, Lorne chose two options at the same time. As the points on the panel decreased by 50, the generator in front of Lorne completed its transformation. Lorne saw that the power generation efficiency on the interface had increased by two times, and he no longer needed to run it every day. He felt that this point was worth it. The crisis of electricity was resolved. The next problem was food. Lorne thought of the bag of seeds he had brought back. Chapter 9 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The matter of growing fruits and vegetables had to be carried out quickly. After all, many types of vitamins needed in the human body came from the vegetables. For example, carrots could supplement the Vitamin C which was necessary for the human body, while spinach and cabbage could supplement the Vitamin A which enhanced the human immune system. Furthermore, the current greenhouse was not large enough for him to plant a large amount of rice, so he planned to replace it with potatoes. After all, potatoes were easier to produce. When he went out in the future, he could use potatoes to trade for other supplies. Lorne planned to upgrade the greenhouse when he had more points in the future. That way, he would have rice to eat. At the current stage, it was better to plant some vegetables that ripened quickly and had short growth cycles. Lorne immediately carried the large bag of seeds to the greenhouse.. The greenhouse provided by the level one technology city wasn¡¯t very large, only about 80 square meters. Therefore, Lorne had to carefully plan what vegetables he wanted to grow. Moreover, the growth cycle had to be short, and he had to ensure that they could mature before he finished all the supplies in his reserves. After careful consideration, Lorne decided to plant potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. As the potatoes he bought had already begun to sprout, all he needed to do now was slice the seed potato into pieces and plant them. Lorne carefully cut the potatoes into small pieces according to the potato eyes, then made small ditches in the ground. After putting the potatoes down, he put in some soil and finished planting the potatoes. Next was the planting of carrots. Lorne first marked out a portion of the land and then carefully turned the soil to make it more loose. After digging up the soil, Lorne made small pits of about the same size on the soil. Then, he began planting the carrot seeds evenly on the soil. He only needed to cover the carrot seeds with a thin layer of soil. Finally, he planted the cabbage. The method of planting the cabbage was similar to planting carrots. As he had planted it before, Lorne quickly finished sowing the cabbage seeds. After sowing the three types of seeds, a thin layer of sweat began to appear on Lorne¡¯s forehead. After all, turning the soil was also a labor of strength. However, the planting of the vegetables was not over yet. After sowing the seeds, he had to consider the watering issue. After all, the seeds couldn¡¯t grow without absorbing water. Although 80 square meters of land was not a lot, it would be a waste of time if Lorne had to carry water to irrigate it every day. So Lorne thought about upgrading his greenhouse to see if he could add an irrigation system. The system seemed to have heard Lorne¡¯s inner desires. Two upgrade plans quickly appeared in front of him. [Level 1 greenhouse] Upgrade plan 1: Add the sprinkler irrigation system: Add water pump and engine required for spraying. Uses 60% of water, and requires 30 points. Upgrade plan 2: Add the drip irrigation system: increase the water pipes and emitters. Uses 30% of water, and requires 30 points. The two solutions given by the system were the irrigation devices that Lorne currently needed. The two solutions were different, but they could solve the difficulties that Lorne was currently facing. Considering that he did not produce much water every day, Lorne chose upgrade plan two. Compared to sprinkling, the drip irrigation system would undoubtedly save more water. It could also better maintain the structure of the soil and create a better soil environment for the cultivation of vegetables. Furthermore, the technological content for drip irrigation was much higher. Before the apocalypse, the government was pushing for this irrigation method. After Lorne chose the upgrade plan two, the greenhouse was quickly enveloped by a ball of light. After the light disappeared, a complete drip irrigation system was installed in the greenhouse. Now, the problem of watering the vegetables was also solved. After everything was done, Lorne turned on the lighting in the greenhouse. After all, vegetables needed photosynthesis to grow, so there were six lights in the greenhouse. Because the vegetables in the shelter could not see sunlight, these lights would replace natural light. It was a good thing he had upgraded the power generator before, or he wouldn¡¯t have been able to afford these lights. Lorne thought with relief. Lorne checked the irrigation system and found that it was operating normally. It would take some time for the seeds to grow. After checking them one last time, Lorne closed the greenhouse door and walked towards the living room. Lorn, who was bored while sitting, began to fiddle with the crossbow he had created previously. Lorne found a large wooden board and placed it at the edge of the living room. Then, he stood at the other end of the living room and began to shoot at the wooden board. He wanted to make use of his time in the shelter to practice his aim and prepare himself for future exploration. As Lorne pulled the trigger, the crossbow bolt flew out and struck a spot slightly away from the center of the wooden board. He had to admit that the upgraded crossbow was very good. Not only was its accuracy high, but its stability was also very good. As someone who had never used a crossbow before, he was able to shoot quite accurately even from a distance of about 10 meters. Then, Lorne slowly adjusted his firing angle and the speed of the bolt. As Lorne fired again and again, he became more proficient in using the crossbow, and his accuracy increased. In the end, six out of ten bolts would land in the center of the target, while the other four were not too far from the center. His bolt loading speed had increased significantly. Now Lorne could shoot five bolts in a minute. ¡­. In the shelter of a small company. ¡°How much food do we have left?¡± ¡°Manager, our food is only enough for us to eat for 15 days,¡± said a wretched-looking man to the manager. ¡°How can it be so little?¡± The manager was a little angry when he heard the man¡¯s reply. ¡°Because a lot of people in the company brought many relatives to the company when the disaster was approaching, so we don¡¯t have enough supplies. 15 days is only if we cut down the consumption,¡± the man said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. ¡°Go and hide half of the supplies. Don¡¯t let others find out,¡± the manager said coldly. ¡°Also, from tonight onwards, reduce the distribution of food. Every person will only get enough food to sustain life.¡± ¡°Manager, won¡¯t the people below be displeased?¡± ¡°Displeased? Send them to me,¡± the manager said fiercely as he touched the pistol hidden in his belt. ¡°Yes.¡± The man nodded and left. Chapter 10 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Lorne, who had been practicing his aiming for five hours, felt that he should have the ability to protect himself. He thought of leaving the shelter to explore the outside world. However, if he wanted to get out, he would undoubtedly have to face the terrifying heat on the surface. Therefore, Lorne planned to go to the R&D Center to make a good protective suit. He was preparing for his exploration. Lorne walked into the R & D center and checked on the central computer to see if there were any blueprints of protective suits. Soon the central computer gave Lorne the blueprints he needed. [Radiation-proof Suits] [Defensive Alloy Suit (10)] Note: This protective suit cannot isolate high temperatures. If the host wears it to hot places, he might be roasted.. [High-temperature insulation suit (5)] Note: It can only resist normal temperature, and the suit is not equipped with defense against damage. If the protective suit is damaged, the host might be in danger. [Combat Alloy Protective Suit (25)] Note: This protective suit can increase the host¡¯s defense and will not affect the host¡¯s movements. It also has good resistance and is not easily damaged. It can resist high-temperature radiation. ¡­ Lorne looked at the series of blueprints given by the system and naturally focused on the first three blueprints. Because the rest of the blueprints were too expensive, with Lorne¡¯s current points, he could not afford them. Therefore, he had no desire to look at the blueprints below. Among the three blueprints that appeared, the first two had a certain weakness. The first blueprint could only withstand impacts and not high temperatures. The second blueprint could withstand high temperatures but was easily damaged. Therefore, Lorne naturally chose the third blueprint. Although the third blueprint was almost twice as expensive as the other two blueprints, he had to think about his life when exploring outside. Now was not the time to be concerned about points. Thus, Lorne quickly purchased the blueprint for the third protective suit on the central computer. Then he clicked on it and began its crafting process. In the process of making it, Lorne encountered a new difficulty. He realized that he did not have the materials to make protective suits. Fortunately, the system could replace raw materials with points, so Lorne spent another five points. After spending 5 points, the work table beside the central computer was quickly enveloped by a ball of light. Finally, a red and black protective suit appeared in front of Lorne. The entire protective suit was black in color, and the bright red color wrapped around the protective suit like flames, adding a hint of aggression to it. Upon seeing the cool appearance, Lorne remembered that the third protective suit was a combat protective suit. After the production was completed, Lorne impatiently opened the cover on the work table and took out the protective suit. The material of the protective suit was a material that Lorne did not recognize at all, but it felt very comfortable to touch. It had a smooth feeling. Lorne put on the protective suit. The moment he put it on, Lorne felt a chill. It was very comfortable, just like staying in an air-conditioned room in summer. There was no stuffy heat at all. Lorne began to walk around the room. It felt very good. There was no sense of inconvenience at all. It was no different from when he was not wearing the protective suit. ¡°As expected, the System¡¯s products are definitely top-notch.¡± Lorne praised the System. After adapting for a while, Lorne began to walk towards the door. With excitement, he pushed open the door above his residence. The moment Lorne walked out of his residence, a wave of energy hit him. However, with the protection of the suit, Lorne only took half a step back. Composing himself, Lorne began to observe the world after the disaster. The sky was like a painting that had been cut by someone else. There were streaks of white in the dark blue sky. These were left behind by the asteroid fragments when they descended. Compared to the sky, the ground was even more miserable. The entire surface of the ground was filled with holes of various sizes. Dust would occasionally flow up and down in the air while heat waves would constantly roll about. The previously lush forest was now like a scene from hell. Large patches of trees had collapsed, turning into coal. Some trees were still burning. Looking at the burning ground, Lorne could imagine the temperature. Fortunately, he had the protective suit, so he could explore around. There weren¡¯t many people living near his own residence, and there were few supplies he could find nearby, so Lorne decided to explore the city center. Because the meteorite had just landed for a period of time, the ground was still very hot, so protective clothing was a must for anyone that wanted to move around the surface. However, this was only temporary. Soon, the Earth would be affected by the atmosphere. Then, cold air would flow in, and the temperature would drop to about 100 degrees. This would bring Earth to the Ice Age. In the following days, the temperature of the entire city and even the entire world would begin to drop rapidly. Then, it would start to rain heavily. When it rained, the cold air would quickly condense. One of the reasons why Lorne came out this time was to search for living animals. He wanted to bring back some animals such as chickens and ducks and raise them to ensure his future protein intake. He should upgrade the drainage system and heating system in his residence. Otherwise, he would have to hide in the greenhouse to sleep after the temperature dropped. After all, if the Ice Age came and he didn¡¯t have a heating system in his room, he might become a huge popsicle when he woke up. As Lorne pondered his next move on the way, he suddenly realized that he still had a lot of things to upgrade, but he didn¡¯t seem to have enough points. ¡°When will the system give me a mission? Give me a little more points. Otherwise, I¡¯ll have to wait for a long time if I have to depend on the points settlement every day,¡± Lorne thought to himself. It was already close to noon. Even though Earth had been attacked by the asteroid, the Sun was still hanging in the sky. It was silently shining and emitting heat. However, it had nothing to do with Lorne. In his protective suit, it was as if he carried an air conditioner with him. There was no heat at all. On the road that led to the city center, the green plants on the side were being burned by the flames. Some of the plants that weren¡¯t burned had dried up and their leaves were turning yellow. As time passed, Lorne arrived at the city center. The streets were quiet. Most of the skyscrapers from before had not collapsed, but the glass on them had already shattered. Some places were still burning with raging flames. Lorne began to advance slowly, but he could vaguely see a few figures moving ahead. Chapter 11 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Lorne began to quietly make his way around a nearby building, weaving in and out of the building, heading for the rooftop. Lorne peeked over the edge of the rooftop and looked down. From the rooftop, Lorne discovered that the figures that were moving earlier were a group of people wearing red protective suits. They were constantly searching every ruin, as though they were searching for supplies. Judging from their stance, they should be from the government. Indeed, with the government¡¯s power, they would definitely come out to explore the area as soon as the disaster ended. After watching for a while, Lorne secretly moved in another direction. For the time being, he did not want to meet the officials. After all, if they were to meet, it would be hard to explain where the protective suit he was wearing came from. It would be better for them to go their separate ways. Lorne remembered that there was a large farm in the northwest direction. Some domestic animals might have survived there. Thus, Lorne began to run northwest. After his attributes were increased by the system, Lorne¡¯s physical fitness had greatly improved. In the past, Lorne would pant after running a few steps, but now, he could easily run for such a long time. As Lorne advanced towards the farm, a group of people were also advancing towards the farm. ¡°Cary, are there really a lot of supplies in the farm?¡± a middle-aged man in protective clothing asked the person beside him. ¡°Manager, of course it¡¯s true. When the apocalypse was announced, the people in the farm started killing many animals to make jerky.¡± ¡°And I saw with my own eyes that they packed the dried meat into boxes and moved them into the underground shelter of the farm owner,¡± the man answered charmingly. ¡°If that¡¯s true, then I¡¯ll give you credit for this expedition. You¡¯ll be rewarded when we return. Perhaps Lina can accompany you through the night.¡± The middle-aged man was very satisfied when he heard the reply. ¡°Thank you, Boss. Thank you, Boss.¡± Cary couldn¡¯t help but lick his lips at the thought of Lina¡¯s voluptuous figure, and his footsteps quickened slightly. They soon arrived at the farm. ¡°Manager, we¡¯re here. This is it.¡± Cary pointed at the huge farm in front of him and said to his manager. ¡°Spread out and find the shelter in this farm. Then use your communicator to send a signal,¡± the manager said to the group behind him. ¡°Yes.¡± The group soon dispersed and began exploring the entire farm. ¡°Manager, we found it.¡± After about two hours of exploration, the manager¡¯s communicator rang with the news of success. Soon, they arrived at the location from where the signal had been sent. A thick alloy door appeared before the group. Bang bang bang¡­ The manager quickly called a lackey to knock on the alloy door. ¡°Who is it?¡± A slightly puzzled voice came from inside the door. ¡°I¡¯m an official enforcer. I¡¯m here to check if there are any abnormalities in your shelter. Please open the door and cooperate with our inspection.¡± When the manager heard the question, he deepened his voice and said righteously. After hearing the manager¡¯s words, the people in the room stayed silent for a while, then slowly opened the door. The people outside the door all had greedy eyes when they saw the door slowly open. Thinking about the huge supplies hidden behind the door, they started feeling excited. At this moment, Lorne was approaching the farm. ¡°Huh? Why are there car tracks here?¡± As Lorne slowly approached the farm, he discovered the traces left behind by the people from before. He increased his speed and moved hurriedly towards the farm. ¡°Quick, quick, quick. Find all the supplies here and move them out.¡± The manager ordered his men. In the corner were two shivering people. They were the original owner of the farm and his wife. The owner of the farm was furious. He shouldn¡¯t have let these animals in. Now, he could only hope that they would leave as soon as possible. ¡°Manager, what should we do with these two people?¡± A lackey pointed at the two people in the corner. ¡°Kill them,¡± the manager said ruthlessly. ¡°K-kill? Manager, it¡¯s against the law to kill!¡± one of his subordinates said with a trembling voice. ¡°Give me your knife,¡± the manager said to the person who spoke. Although the man was puzzled, he still handed the knife to his manager. Then, the manager slowly walked toward the two people tied up in the corner. The two people in the corner trembled as they looked at the manager walking toward them as if they were looking at a devil. The manager raised the knife and instantly stabbed the wife¡¯s heart. Then, under the woman¡¯s despairing gaze, he quickly pulled the knife out. Soon, the wife died. The farm owner shouted angrily. However, the manager quickly stabbed the knife into the owner¡¯s heart as well, killing him. The manager threw the knife at the feet of the henchman who had just spoken. Then he took a rag from the room and wiped the blood on his protective suit. ¡°Remember, this is the apocalypse. The laws from before are no longer effective. If you want to live well, you need to be ruthless. If I hear what you said before again, this will be your result.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± The subordinate picked up the knife on the ground with trembling hands. The other subordinates also moved faster. At the same time, Lorne arrived at the farm and saw the cars parked outside. Lorne took out the crossbow from the bundle on his back and placed it where he could get it quickly. He started to move slowly towards the car. Soon, he heard footsteps coming from the front. A man in protective clothing was moving the supplies out. He saw Lorne walking toward him. ¡°Who are you?¡± the man asked Lorne loudly. ¡°I¡¯m here to exchange for supplies. Do you have any supplies? I can use vegetables to exchange for them,¡± Lorne replied to the man. ¡°Wait here.¡± Then the man started toward the house. ¡°Come in with me.¡± After a while, the man walked out and said to Lorne. Then, he walked in first. Lorne followed, but he held his crossbow tightly. These people were obviously not the original owners of the farm. However, Lorne was confident that he could handle this situation with his recent training. Furthermore, according to Lorne¡¯s observation, these people¡¯s protective suits could only insulate them from heat and were easy to damage. It would be fine if he destroyed their protective suits if the situation turned dangerous. Chapter 12 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios The two of them walked into the farm. ¡°Boss, he is here.¡± The man leading Lorne spoke to the sealed metal door. The moment he finished speaking, the metal door slowly opened and the manager walked out. ¡°I¡¯m the boss here. Are you the one who wants to exchange for supplies?¡± the manager asked Lorne. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I need a batch of live poultry and some meat that can be stored easily. I can exchange them with vegetables,¡± Lorne said to the manager. ¡°Come in with me. The supplies are inside..¡± The manager did not say anything else after hearing what Lorne said. He turned around and returned to the shelter. Lorne looked at the manager who was slowly walking inside and a trace of doubt flashed across his eyes. Why was there blood on the corner of this man¡¯s protective suit? Lorne adjusted the crossbow in his hand, braced himself, and cautiously followed him in. ¡°Ah!¡± The moment Lorne walked in, a black shadow suddenly pounced at him. Lorne panicked and quickly dodged to the other side. Then, he aimed his crossbow at the person who was charging at him and shot. He quickly took out another bolt and loaded it. The man who lunged at Lorne let out a painful scream. ¡°You¡¯re not the owner of this farm. Who the hell are you people?¡± Lorne snapped at the manager with his crossbow. Lorne finally saw the sight in the room. He saw a man and a woman who were tied up in a corner and collapsed on the ground. Blood was flowing out from under their bodies. It seemed that they had just been killed. There was a man in the room with a knife that was stained with blood. Lorne finally understood that these people too were here to search for supplies. However, they were different from him. He wanted to use supplies to exchange for supplies. These people were like bandits who directly entered the house and killed the original owner of this place. ¡°Useless. You can¡¯t even catch a person. What¡¯s the point of having you?¡± The manager said angrily to the man who was lying on the ground and wailing. ¡°Kid, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for choosing the same place as us to search for supplies. So, we can only silence you,¡± the manager said coldly. ¡°All of you, attack! This kid only has one crossbow. He cannot fire many bolts,¡± the manager said to his subordinates. Lorne had previously guessed that because of the arrival of the apocalypse, some people would break their moral code. But he had not expected to meet them so soon. ¡°Whoever kills this person, I¡¯ll reward him with a third of these supplies.¡± The manager saw that his subordinates were hesitating, so he promised a huge reward. Hearing the manager¡¯s words, the men¡¯s eyes shone with greed. They were tempted. After all, the reason they came out to search for supplies was because there was not enough food in their shelter. That was why they took the risk to come out. If they could get a third of the supplies, they would be able to go back to the base and relax for a while, and their family wouldn¡¯t starve. ¡°Ah!¡± Finally, one of the lackeys could not resist the temptation and charged towards Lorne with a knife. Bang! Lorne quickly pulled the trigger and shot the man who was charging at him to the ground. Then, he quickly loaded another bolt onto the crossbow. ¡°Even if you want to take the supplies, you have to be alive to enjoy it. Think about it, even if you want to kill me, do you think I can¡¯t shoot through your protective suits before I die?¡± ¡°Think again. If you die, what kind of treatment will your wives and children receive?¡± Lorne spoke loudly to the men who were approaching him. The few people who were tempted before were reminded by Lorne¡¯s words. That¡¯s right, even if they caught this person, they would definitely not be able to avoid being injured, and it would only benefit others. Hence, the few people who wanted to attack Lorne stopped and surrounded him. ¡°Friend, we came out to search for supplies like you. However, the owner of this farm did not cooperate with us, so we had no choice but to resort to other methods.¡± ¡°How about we sit down and have a good talk?¡± The manager, who was hiding behind the cabinet in the living room, saw that his subordinates were frightened by Lorne. He could no longer sit by and watch, so he shouted at Lorne. ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡± Lorne touched the bolts in his bag. There were about a dozen left. Looking at the number of people in the house, plus the manager, there were only seven people. With his speed, Lorne was confident that the other party could not threaten him. ¡°Since both of us are searching for the resources here, this is fate. How about we split the resources here equally?¡± The manager slowly walked out from behind the cabinet. Lorne watched the manager walk out from behind the cabinet and immediately aimed his bow at him. Then, he slowly walked to a relatively safe spot where he could observe everyone. ¡°How did you get into this shelter?¡± Lorne asked curiously. ¡°We pretended to be law-enforcement officers first. When the door was opened, we barged in and subdued them,¡± the manager replied. ¡°It¡¯s a very simple and practical method.¡± The manager¡¯s words also reminded Lorne that he could not open the door to anyone else in the future, not even if they called themselves law enforcers. ¡°Friend, what do you think of my suggestion?¡± the manager asked sincerely. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that the manager¡¯s eyes were flashing with greed as he looked at the crossbow in Lorne¡¯s hand. If he could get his hands on this crossbow, his strength would increase tremendously. A longing appeared in the manager¡¯s mind. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I want all the supplies here.¡± ¡°Friend, you¡¯re being difficult. You should know that we have seven people here. If we attack together, you won¡¯t be able to attack all of us.¡± The manager said coldly. ¡°Oh, well, let¡¯s see which of you wants to be the first scapegoat. Wanna guess if my next bolt hits you in the thigh or the head?¡± Bang! As soon as he finished speaking, Lorne pulled the trigger. A bolt shot directly into the head of the person who had ambushed Lorne earlier. That person died instantly. Then Lorne quickly loaded his crossbow and aimed it at the manager. Lorne could tell that the manager wanted to incite his subordinates to charge at him together, so he could only use a more ruthless method to intimidate them so that he would not be in danger. ¡°Who wants to test the power of these bolts next?¡± Lorne said loudly. The manager and the rest were also stunned by Lorne. They did not expect this young man to be so ruthless. Chapter 13 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios ¡°Friend, don¡¯t be rash. We can talk about it.¡± The manager had thought that Lorne would be indecisive seeing how young he was, but seeing how ruthless he was, he began to compromise. ¡°Are there any questions about my words now?¡± Lorne said loudly to the manager and the rest with a ferocious smile. ¡®Lunatic,¡¯ the manager felt a deep chill run down his spine. He had a feeling that if he did not agree to the other party¡¯s request, the other party would really shoot arrows at their heads. ¡°Get lost if you don¡¯t want to die,¡± Lorne said to the manager when he saw him hesitate. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The manager cared about his life, so he did not dare to bet his life to test Lorne¡¯s words. After all, it was just some supplies.. At most, they could search for other supplies. There was no need to fight this madman here. The manager called for his subordinates and dragged the injured underling away. The moment he walked out of the room, the manager stared intently at Lorne, as if trying to remember the person who had made him suffer. When the door closed tightly and he heard the sound of a car engine, Lorne lowered his head and let out a long breath of relief. During the tense confrontation earlier, he had been holding his breath and did not dare to show any hesitation. Because he knew that if the manager and the rest realized that he was hesitant, they would risk their lives to subdue him. If that happened, he would be in an extremely dangerous situation. Fortunately, his gamble paid off. The manager and the others did not dare to risk their lives, so they let Lorne obtain these supplies. The gains were always proportional to the risks. Lorne looked at the room full of resources and was very happy. He even found the live poultry he was looking for in a room. What made Lorne even happier was that he found many fruits. These fruits could last him until the time to harvest his vegetables. Looking at the huge amount of resources, Lorne was troubled. He did not have any vehicles to transport the supplies. ¡®Are there any vehicles on this farm?¡¯ Lorne got up and slowly searched the farm. Today, Lorne seemed to be blessed by God. He found a medium-sized farm truck in a dilapidated warehouse on the farm. It had sufficient fuel. He could bring all the supplies back to his base on this truck. Lorne drove the truck to the entrance of the farm owner¡¯s shelter and slowly loaded the supplies into the truck. Time passed, and Lorne finished moving all the supplies into the truck, leaving only the poultry. Looking at these poultry, Lorne was worried that they would not be able to adapt to the high temperature outside. If they were killed by the high temperature outside, it would not be worth it. But soon Lorne thought of a way to alleviate the situation. He thought of the cold storage in this shelter. Maybe because this was a farm, the owner did not use refrigerators to store supplies. Instead, he built a small cold storage room in his refuge. There were many cut ice cubes in the cold storage. Lorne planned to move some of the ice in the cold storage to the truck and seal it before moving the poultry out. In this way, as long as he drove faster, he should be able to prevent the poultry from dying. As long as he could reach his technology city, everything would be fine. He acted without delay. Lorne quickly moved the ice cubes from the cold storage to the truck and sealed the truck with wooden boards. After everything was ready, Lorne started the engine and drove away from the farm towards his residence. The journey was smooth, and Lorne quickly returned to his shelter. He hurriedly removed the wooden boards from the truck to check if the poultry he had brought back was still alive. On the way, Lorne drove at a high speed, afraid that his slow driving might destroy his hope of eating meat. Therefore, the moment he got off the truck, he wanted to quickly transfer his treasures to his technology city. After removing the wooden boards, Lorne saw chickens and ducks strolling slowly in the truck. He could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Then, he quickly moved the poultry into his greenhouse. Lorne specially marked a piece of land in the greenhouse and built a fence to place the poultry in case they ate the vegetables he planted. After arranging the poultry, Lorne slowly moved the resources he obtained from this trip to his shelter. In the shelter, Lorne was slowly sorting out the resources he had obtained this time. He placed the easily preservable jerky in the storage room. As for the fruits that could easily rot, Lorne put them in the freezer. Fortunately, he had upgraded the freezer earlier, or he really would not have been able to store these fruits. ¡°3:57¡± After finishing his work, Lorne looked at the time and realized that it was still a while before nightfall. Lorne decided to go out again and search for some metal. The previous encounter made Lorne realize that his crossbow was not omnipotent. If he had not scared the manager and the others off this time, he would have met with death. Lorne planned to create a more powerful weapon this time. A weapon that helped humans escape the era of cold weapons. ¡°Gun!¡± Meanwhile, in an unknown neighborhood in the city center. The manager sat in a shelter, smoking non-stop. The scene of him being frightened by Lorne kept replaying in his mind. The manager had always thought that he would use this opportunity to continuously increase his strength and become a king-like existence. But meeting Lorne today created a crack in the manager¡¯s confidence. ¡°Boss, the supplies are gathered. Are we leaving now?¡± A lackey¡¯s question interrupted the manager¡¯s thoughts. The manager did not answer and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the tap in the bathroom and let the cold water wash over his head. Under the stimulation of the cold water, the manager¡¯s originally dispirited gaze became sharp again. He adjusted his clothes that were messed up by the cold water and slowly walked out of the bathroom. ¡°Bring all the resources here into the car. We¡¯ll return to the shelter first.¡± After adjusting his state, he gave the first order to his subordinate. Losing the resources from before was not a very important matter. Just like now, he could still obtain enough resources. The manager reflected on the reason for today¡¯s failure. It was mainly because his side did not have any powerful weapons. The manager sitting in the car slowly turned his gaze to the police station in the city. Chapter 14 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios At this moment, Lorne was discussing with the system. ¡°System, do you have a portable storage space?¡± Lorne thought that if he had to drive a truck every time he went out to search for supplies and bring it back, he would be too big of a target. ¡°The host can use 100 points to activate the level one portable space.¡± ¡°So expensive!¡± Lorne shouted when he heard the system. ¡°Can I buy on credit?¡± Lorne asked weakly in his mind. ¡°No.¡± The system straightforwardly rejected his shameless request. ¡°When will you release a mission?¡± Lorne looked at his pitiful points and wailed. The system¡¯s mechanical voice sounded in Lorne¡¯s mind.. ¡°The missions are released randomly. Please explore the outside world more. It might increase your chances of getting missions.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± After hearing the System, Lorne resigned to his fate and walked to the truck, preparing to drive it out to collect metals. After sitting in the truck and thinking for a while, Lorne prepared to head to construction sites in the city to search for metals. Although it was almost evening, the outside world was still scorching hot. The trees that were not burned by the roadside had already withered. However, this did not affect Lorne. His protective suit could completely isolate him from the heat. He quickly arrived at a construction site in the city center. It had to be said that driving was indeed much faster than walking. The construction site, which should have been bustling with activity, had now become very desolate. Lorne quickly found a batch of abandoned steel materials beside the construction site and moved it to the truck. Then, he started the car and drove towards his shelter. There was always some boredom while driving. Lorne began to survey his surroundings. Bang! Suddenly a dark shadow hit the windshield of Lorne¡¯s truck and flew out. The sudden accident made Lorne immediately hit the brakes. Following that was the sound of tires rubbing against the ground. When the truck finally stopped, Lorne quickly got out to check what he had hit. After getting out of the truck, Lorne saw a creature that looked like a bird in the middle of the road. Lorne walked forward to observe it carefully and found that it was not any of the species he knew. Its feathers were especially shiny black. There was also a tuft of seven-colored fur on the bird¡¯s head, making it look even more extraordinary. Its beak looked as hard as an iron hook, but now it seemed to be in a weakened state. The bird¡¯s legs were caught in an animal trap. Its black eyes were filled with intelligence. Looking at the bird¡¯s eyes, Lorne had a feeling that it was asking him to help it remove the trap. Lorne was amazed that there was such an intelligent bird in this world. It was fate that they met. Seeing the bird in so much pain, Lorne could not bear it. Therefore, he slowly removed the trap from the bird¡¯s leg. Seeing that the bird¡¯s legs were still bleeding, Lorne found some herbs in the bush nearby and ground them into dregs before applying them to its legs. When Lorne was very young, he had learned to search for herbs in the wild to treat wounds. However, he did not know if the herbs that were useful to humans were effective on birds or not. However, there was no other choice now. It was better to have medicine applied than to have no medicine applied. It was unknown whether it was because of psychological reasons or because this medicine was really effective on the wounds, but after applying it, the bird¡¯s spirit clearly improved a lot. ¡°Do you want to come with me?¡± Perhaps because the bird felt very intelligent, Lorne asked the bird. Miraculously, after hearing Lorne¡¯s words, the bird actually swayed and jumped into his hand. If anyone saw this scene, they would be quite amused. ¡°From now on, you are my companion.¡± Lorne carefully held the bird in his hand and placed it in the passenger seat of the truck. Lorne, who had relied on the poor old man since he was young, had long understood that sometimes, animals were more reliable than humans. So sometimes Lorne was a little friendlier to animals than humans. Lorne was in a very happy mood. His residence had finally welcomed another life. With it accompanying him in the shelter, his life would finally not be so boring. The cheerful Lorne felt the journey become short and quickly reached his shelter. Lorne first carefully placed the rescued bird in the living room, then slowly moved the steel materials he obtained into the R&D Center. After doing all this, Lorne slowly took off his protective suit. After having worn it for a day, he suddenly felt very refreshed. Although this protective suit gave off a very light feeling, wearing it for a long time would still give off a restrictive feeling. Lorne took out two cups and walked to the water drawing device. He filled two cups with water and drank a large mouthful in satisfaction. After being busy for a day, there was no doubt that a huge mouthful of water was a form of spiritual satisfaction. Lorne even fetched a glass of water for the bird. The little bird was very excited when it saw Lorne bring a glass of water for it. It walked and jumped towards Lorne. Lorne couldn¡¯t help but laugh at its crooked posture. He quickly carried the glass of water to the sofa and carefully lifted the little bird. The bird that was being carried was still restless. It stuck its head out and tried to approach the cup. Lorne quickly brought the cup to its mouth. The little bird got its wish and drank the water, crying happily. ¡°Say, since we¡¯re a family now, shouldn¡¯t I give you a name?¡± Lorne said to the little bird that was drinking happily. ¡°If you don¡¯t speak, I¡¯ll take it that you agree.¡± ¡°Then what should I call you!?¡± Lorne frowned as he thought. ¡°I got it. Since your feathers are black, I¡¯ll call you Whitey!¡± Lorne said happily while playing with the little bird. ¡°Whitey, from now on, you¡¯re my family. With me around, you won¡¯t have to starve,¡± Lorne said generously to Whitey. It was unknown if Whitey understood what Lorne was saying, but it stopped drinking the water. It raised its head and stared at Lorne. The excited Lorne did not see this. ¡°Drink well. If you¡¯re hungry, eat the meat beside you.¡± Lorne took out the dried meat and helped Whitey tear it into mincemeat before placing it beside it. Chapter 15 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Lorne even built a comfortable nest for Whitey on the sofa. The comfortable environment could help it recover faster. He prepared to go and rest as well. It had been a long day. After his spirit relaxed, he immediately felt tired. After saying goodnight to Whitey, Lorne went to his room to rest. While Lorne was sleeping soundly in his comfortable bed, the people in the government shelters were not as comfortable. ¡­ Byron was staring at the food in his hand in a daze. The food was rat meat and mushrooms. Byron did not even even imagine eating these two foods before the apocalypse. His parents would always leave the best food at home for him to eat, so Byron found it difficult to swallow this food that could barely be called food in his hands. ¡°Byron, why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± His mother asked with concern when she saw Byron staring blankly at the food. ¡°I want to eat hamburgers and chicken. I don¡¯t want to eat this kind of thing,¡± Byron shouted at his mother. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. You have to realize that you¡¯re already very lucky to be able to eat food now. Many people have already lost their most precious lives in the disaster a few days ago.¡± Byron¡¯s father berated him harshly. Byron seemed to be frightened by his father¡¯s harsh words. He began to eat the food in his hand slowly. ¡°Do you still remember the little girl, Sandy, who usually plays with you?¡± Seeing that Byron was beginning to slowly eat, the father¡¯s tone softened as he asked him a question. ¡°Is it that cute little girl?¡± After hearing his father¡¯s question, the image of the little girl from the neighboring house who often came to play with him before the apocalypse appeared in Byron¡¯s mind. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right, it¡¯s her.¡± ¡°Their whole family lost their lives in the disaster because they didn¡¯t enter the shelter in time on the day of the disaster,¡± his father told Byron the painful truth. When Byron heard this news, his body suddenly stiffened. He also stopped eating and looked at his father in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t complain, because you still have life.¡± Byron¡¯s father slowly explained his concept of survival to Byron. ¡°Yes.¡± It was unknown whether Byron had understood or not, but after hearing his father¡¯s words, he did not refute. Instead, he lowered his head and slowly ate his food. After seeing Byron¡¯s action, the father did not explain any further to him. No one could suddenly adapt to the apocalypse. Byron¡¯s father only wanted to let Byron understand the reason why he could continue living during such a difficult time. In fact, his son seemed to be doing quite well. Byron¡¯s father also began to eat his food in small bites, slowly chewing to ensure that he could absorb every ounce of energy in the food. Even though such a huge disaster had happened on Earth, time was still flowing slowly. The people in the shelters began to rest. In their sleep, they seemed to have dreamed of their lives before the disaster. It was quiet and comfortable. [¡­] Hahhh Lorne, who had slept comfortably for the entire night, opened his eyes and slowly stretched. The notifications of the daily calculation of points sounded in his mind. [You went out to explore the world after the disaster and gained 30 points.] [You displayed your toughness and intimidated the enemy. By making the enemy retreat, you gained 40 points.] [You saved an injured magical life form and successfully made it your companion. You gained 50 points.] [You slept beautifully, making yourself more energetic. You gained 20 points.] [¡­] [The remaining points are 350.] Lorne looked at the remaining points with satisfaction. He had been worried about not having enough points to build a gun, but now the points had come. However, Lorne also found a curious thing in the system¡¯s notifications. ¡®Why did the system call Whitey a magical lifeform? It seems like Whitey is indeed not a bird from Earth.¡¯ To be able to make the system call it magical, it seemed like Whitey had its own unique points. However, this did not make Lorne feel any jealousy. After all, Whitey was his companion. If Whitey could become stronger, it would be of greater help to him. He shook his head and stopped thinking about this question. Lorne first took a cup and walked to the water drawing device. He filled the cup with water and began washing up. After washing up, he walked to the sofa and looked at Whitey. The little guy had woken up and was jumping around on the sofa. Lorne helped Whitey get a cup of water and brought it to it. Then, he took out some jerky for himself and started eating it as breakfast. The two of them ate quietly on the sofa, looking very happy. After breakfast, Lorne checked Whitey¡¯s wounds and found that they were healing well. The areas that looked like they were bleeding yesterday had actually slowly scabbed over today. From the looks of it, Whitey¡¯s physique was really extraordinary. This confirmed another guess in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°Whitey, where did you come from?¡± Lorne asked after staring at Whitey for a long time. Chirp chirp chirp. As if understanding Lorne¡¯s question, Whitey began to chirp at him. Lorne was confused when he heard Whitey¡¯s voice. Whitey seemed to understand him. But the problem was that he did not understand bird language. What should he do? Lorne was anxious. ¡°Whitey, if you understand me, can you peck me once? If you don¡¯t, peck me twice.¡± After thinking for a long time, Lorne suggested a solution to Whitey. After hearing Lorne¡¯s words, Whitey hobbled over to him and pecked his hand. ¡°Awesome,¡± Lorne exclaimed happily when he saw that his method worked. ¡°Whitey, are you a bird from Earth? If you are, peck me once. If not, peck me twice.¡± Lorne asked Whitey. Whitey did not immediately move. Instead, it looked at Lorne in confusion and started chirping. ¡°Whitey, what¡¯s your name?¡± Seeing that Whitey was not pecking at him but was chirping, Lorne was confused. ¡°Whitey, I asked if you were a bird from Earth. Earth.¡± Lorne started gesturing at Whitey. When Whitey saw the messy gestures, it chirped even more anxiously. ¡°Oh, Whitey, are you asking me what Earth is?¡± After gesturing for a long time, Lorne suddenly thought of this and asked Whitey tentatively. When Whitey heard this, it stopped chirping. Instead, it quickly pecked Lorne¡¯s hand to show that he was right. ¡°Earth is the planet we live on, the environment we live in now, this land.¡± After figuring out the reason, Lorne¡¯s face reddened, but he quickly explained the meaning of the word ¡®Earth¡¯ to Whitey. Whitey was silent for a moment, as if it was understanding the meaning of Lorne¡¯s words. After two minutes, Whitey pecked Lorne¡¯s hand twice, indicating that it was not a creature from Earth. ¡°Wow, so you¡¯re an alien bird.¡± Lorne was amazed by Whitey¡¯s reply. ¡°Then, can you return to your original place?¡± Lorne asked curiously. Chi chi! After hearing Lorne¡¯s question, Whitey did not peck his hand like before. Instead, it slowly turned to the corner of the sofa with a depressed expression. ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯re family from now on. Just follow me.¡± Lorne also realized that the question he asked was inappropriate. He stroked Whitey and said firmly. Chapter 16 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Chi chi! Whitey also shouted happily when it heard Lorne¡¯s words. Then, it walked beside Lorne¡¯s hand and pecked him twice to express its agreement. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Lorne was also very happy to see Whitey¡¯s actions. ¡°Okay, take a rest here. I have something to do in that room. I¡¯ll be out in a while,¡± Lorne said to White as he pointed at the door of the R&D Center. ¡°Chik! Chik!¡± Hearing Lorne¡¯s words, Whitey called out to him to show that it understood. Then, it turned its head and slowly ate the food. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Lorne couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded when he saw the gluttonous Whitey. He thought that Whitey was a cold and proud bird, but it was actually a little foodie.. After observing for a while, he walked to the R&D Center. Lorne planned to create a gun to increase his ability to protect himself. Lorne walked into the R&D Center and began searching for the blueprints for the most suitable guns on the central computer. This time, Lorne planned to create a rifle and a pistol. If he encountered a lone target, he would use the pistol to deal with it. If he encountered many people, the rifle would appear more intimidating. Lorne first searched for the blueprints for the pistol on the central computer. Soon, the computer displayed the various blueprints that were suitable for Lorne. [Black USP pistol blueprint, 10 points] [Glock-17 blueprint, 15 points] [M500 blueprint, 15 points] [Desert Eagle blueprint, 20 points] [Colt Blueprint, 15 points] ¡­ Among all the blueprints, Lorne immediately saw the eye-catching name, Desert Eagle. The gun was the most familiar name to Lorne. The Desert Eagle was created by a company in Israel. Its heavy gunshots were powerful, making it a target for many collectors and military enthusiasts. Lorne immediately took a fancy to this blueprint and downloaded it with his points. Although the Desert Eagle¡¯s blueprint was a little more expensive than other blueprints, this was just a trivial problem for Lorne. After downloading the blueprint, Lorne placed the required metals on the work table. Then, the central computer sent the downloaded blueprint to the control panel of the work table and closed the cover. Soon, the work table was enveloped by a burst of light. A clock on the dashboard outside the work table showed a countdown. The timer indicated that there was still an hour before the gun was manufactured. The sudden display of time stunned Lorne. It had not been displayed when he was making the crossbow. Was it because making guns was more complicated? After experiencing a short period of doubt, Lorne began to slowly observe the work table. He realized that this work table could also be upgraded, and as long as it was upgraded, the production time would decrease. This caught Lorne off guard. He had been confused by the high-level appearance of the work table. He had thought that this work table was the highest level and did not need to continue upgrading. He did not expect it to still be upgradeable. ¡°You damn greedy system.¡± Lorne mocked the system in his mind. ¡°The system¡¯s charge is reasonable,¡± the system replied mechanically. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lorne choked on his words and didn¡¯t say anything else. Seeing that it would take an hour to complete the production, Lorne no longer had the intention to stay in the R&D Center. He slowly walked out of the living room to see what Whitey was doing. As soon as he left the R&D Center, he saw Whitey. It was holding a large jerky and using its claws to slowly tear it into pieces so that it could eat it easily. It had to be said that Whitey¡¯s claws were extremely sharp. The dried meat, which was a little hard from the sun, became as fragile as paper under its claws. It was torn apart with a gentle cut. Lorne slowly walked to Whitey¡¯s side. When it saw Lorne come out, it looked very happy. It pushed the dried meat toward Lorne, hinting for him to taste the fruits of its labor. ¡°Nice, I didn¡¯t raise you for nothing.¡± Lorne was happy to see Whitey¡¯s actions. He gently picked up a piece of meat from the bowl and put it in his mouth. ¡°It tastes good,¡± Lorne praised Whitey. Having another living being in the shelter feels quite good, Lorne thought to himself. He began to play with Whitey on the sofa. An hour was not a long time, and it passed quickly. Lorne walked into the R&D Center again to see how his gun production was going. The cover on the work table of the R&D Center had automatically opened. There was a tough-looking gun lying on it. This should be the Desert Eagle he created. Its cool appearance, coupled with the large caliber gun barrel, attracted Lorne¡¯s gaze. Lorne reached out and took off the Desert Eagle from the work table. It felt quite heavy. The entire gun¡¯s structure looked very complicated. Because he had downloaded the blueprint on the central computer, Lorne could check the structure of any part of the gun. This was very important for Lorne to control the gun. He opened the magazine and took a look. He suddenly realized that this Desert Eagle¡¯s magazine capacity was eight bullets. After unlocking the blueprint, he could also start making the bullets for the gun. The Desert Eagle¡¯s bullets were made by the work table. One point could make eight bullets, which was equivalent to a magazine. This was nothing to Lorne, who had some points now. After holding the gun, Lorne suppressed the desire to try the gun immediately. After all, the gun restriction law was quite strict. As a civilian, Lorne did not have the opportunity to come into contact with guns, so he was clearly excited. However, Lorne planned to test the pistol along with the rifle. That would be double the joy. Therefore, he suppressed the urge to immediately test the power of the Desert Eagle. Lorne put the Desert Eagle aside and began searching for blueprints for the rifle on the central computer. The central computer quickly displayed the blueprints that Lorne wanted to search for. [The M16 rifle blueprint, 30 points.] [AK47 rifle blueprint, 25 points.] [The M4A1 rifle blueprint, 35 points.] [MP5 rifle blueprint, 30 points.] [SCAR assault rifle blueprint, 40 points] [¡­] Lorne was dazzled by these various rifles. He really wanted to choose the blueprint for the AK47. After all, he had heard that the power of those rifles was extremely great. But then he remembered that the AK47 did not seem to be very accurate. If someone like him, who had never used a gun before, used an AK47, the chances are he would not be able to shoot accurately even if he emptied the magazine. Therefore, to be safe, Lorne chose the blueprint for the M4A1. After spending 35 points, Lorne downloaded the blueprint from the central computer. According to the procedures, Lorne placed the necessary materials on the work table. Soon, the work table was covered with materials. A three-hour countdown appeared on the dashboard. This time, Lorne did not go out to look for Whitey. Instead, he waited quietly in the R&D Center alone for time to pass. The bored Lorne picked up the Desert Eagle and carefully studied the blueprint on the central computer. As time passed, Lorne slowly figured out the disassembling and assembling method of every component on the Desert Eagle. He could now reassemble the Desert Eagle with the blueprint. Chapter 17 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios While Lorne was studying the Desert Eagle, time slowly passed. Soon, three hours had passed. With a soft sound, the glass cover on the work table opened automatically, and a pitch-black M4A1 appeared in front of Lorne. The body of the gun was equipped with a thick barrel and a front grip. The M4A1¡¯s handguard was short, so it should be easy for him to shoot. There was an infrared scope on the body of the gun, adding a hint of technology to its ordinary appearance. Lorne walked forward and picked up the M4A1. The entire gun felt very light, and the weight did not match its appearance at all. Lorne began to slowly familiarize himself with the gun according to the blueprint. After three hours, Lorne became familiar with the use of this M4A1.. He decided to test the power of this M4A1 and Desert Eagle. There was a testing room in the R&D Center for Lorne to test the power of the weapons. He carried the Desert Eagle and the M4A1 inside. As long as the work table made a weapon, the testing room would have a corresponding target for testing the weapon. After Lorne entered the testing room, three to four different targets appeared inside The nearer targets were used to test the Desert Eagle, while the farther targets were used to test the M4A1. Lorne first picked up the Desert Eagle, opened the safety catch, and loaded the bullet. Then, he raised his hand and aimed at the nearer target. Bang! Following the pull of the trigger, the bullet was fired. The bullet missed its target and instead hit the target beside it. However, what shocked Lorne first was not his accuracy, but the Desert Eagle¡¯s recoil. Even with his body, which had been enhanced by the system, Lorne felt his hand go numb after firing a shot. He could not believe it. If he had used this Desert Eagle before his body was enhanced, his entire palm would probably have broken. However, the powerful recoil also brought about great power. There was a huge hole in the middle of the target. He was sure that as long as he practiced and mastered it properly, this gun would be a great weapon for his exploration. He picked up the Desert Eagle again and shot at the target in front of him. After emptying the Desert Eagle¡¯s magazine, a bullet successfully hit the target. Although it only hit the edge of the target, it also shattered one-fourth of the target. Rubbing his slightly numb arm, Lorne sat on the ground and rested. The Desert Eagle¡¯s power was undoubtedly in line with his requirements. Lorne planned to create hundreds of Desert Eagle bullets after testing the M4A1, and slowly train his accuracy in the next few days. After resting for an hour, Lorne slowly stood up and felt that he had regained some strength. Lorne picked up the M4A1 and prepared to test the gun¡¯s power. Lorne held the M4A1 and posed in what he thought was the most cool pose. He aimed at the target far away and pulled the trigger. He did not know if it was because he had been practicing with the gun for a few hours, but this time, he actually hit the target. Overall, M4A1 felt easier to use than the Desert Eagle. This gun was very comfortable to use. This time, he successfully hit the outer ring. Seeing that his shooting condition was not bad, Lorne raised the gun again and prepared to finish the remaining bullets to get more experience. After more than ten minutes, Lorne finished all the bullets. The result was not bad. All the bullets were on the target, and one bullet hit the inner ring. Satisfied, Lorne put down the rifle. The performance of the two guns met his requirements. He could abandon the crossbow when exploring in the future. After leaving the R&D Center, Lorne planned to have a nice lunch. Just as he walked out of the R&D Center, Whitey saw him and flew towards him. Lorne caught Whitey firmly. ¡°Haha, are you hungry too?¡± Lorne saw that the meat in the bowl on the sofa had been eaten. ¡°Let¡¯s have something nice for lunch,¡± Lorne said to Whitey. Because he had created two guns today, Lorne was in a good mood. He decided to celebrate by killing a chicken. He placed Whitey back on the sofa and walked to the greenhouse. He picked up a plump chicken and slipped it out, preparing to cook it for lunch. Although these chickens needed to be kept for raising, eating one should not be a problem. Lorne silently found an excuse for his actions. Carrying the chicken, Lorne checked the growth of the vegetables he planted. The growth of the vegetables was quite good. After looking around, he closed the door and walked out of the greenhouse feeling satisfied. After coming out, Lorne fetched water to boil to pull out the feathers of the chicken. He then killed the chicken. His actions were very clean. Clearly, he had done this kind of work many times in the past. His childhood experience allowed him to live well alone. After half an hour of hard work, Lorne finished preparing the chicken and cooked a delicious lunch. Lorne even took out the stored rice and cooked a portion, preparing to reminisce about the days before the apocalypse. This was because it was difficult to plant rice in the days after the disaster. Even if they were cultivated, they could only be provided to a small number of people. Therefore, it was a blessing to be able to eat rice in the apocalypse. The two quickly finished all the food on the table. Lorne rubbed his stomach in satisfaction. After ten minutes of rest, Lorne cleared the table and threw the trash outside in his protective suit. [In ten days, the host¡¯s world will enter the Ice Age. There might be a tsunami then. Please be prepared.] When Lorne returned, the system¡¯s voice suddenly sounded in his mind. ¡°It¡¯s going to enter the Ice Age so soon? Looks like I¡¯ll have to stay in technology city for a while,¡± Lorne thought to himself. ¡°I wonder how many people will die in the Ice Age. Why are there so many disasters in this world?¡± ¡°Fortunately, I have the system.¡± Thinking of this, Lorne became confident. Chapter 18 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios It would be good enough if one could protect themselves in this apocalypse. Lorne fiddled with the old radio in his room and found that there was still no signal. He did not know when the government channel would be restored. ¡°Do I need to upgrade this radio? Maybe I can upgrade it to something more advanced. For example, a radio with a phone and computer function.¡± Lorne suddenly had an idea. The thought was uncontrollable. Lorne could not wait to implement it. After gathering his gaze on the radio, an upgrade message appeared in front of Lorne. [Broken radio] Upgrade plan 1: Upgrade the material and strengthen the radio¡¯s signal function. Requires 10 points. Upgrade plan 2: Upgrade the radio material and add a networking function. Requires 15 points. Seeing the two upgrade plans, Lorne generously chose them both. Then, the radio distorted, and after it returned to normal, its appearance changed. The metal outer shell shone with dazzling light and there were a few new buttons on the side of the radio. They seemed to be used to connect to the internet and adjust the signal frequency. Then, he focused on the newly upgraded radio. [A slightly stronger radio] Note: The newly upgraded outer shell can allow you to go out and smash people. The other functions are the same. Upgrade plan 1: Upgrade the system¡¯s materials and make the radio signal more stable. Upgrade plan 2: Upgrade the structure of the system and change the appearance of the radio, allowing the radio to have a touch function. When Lorne saw the upgrade plans given by the system, he thought for a moment and realized that it was a phone. Thinking that he could play with his phone happily in the future, Lorne¡¯s heart could not help but burn. He directly and happily chose the upgrade plan 2. After the radio went through a round of distortion, the second upgrade was completed. The entire radio looked like a small-sized television, but this one had a touchscreen. Lorne tested the radio, which had been upgraded twice. Although there was no internet now, he had the touch screen, and the system had installed some standalone games on the radio. Lorne could not stop playing. Only when the radio ran out of battery did he realize that he had been playing for so long. He then stopped and charged the radio. Lorne did not have the desire to think about anything else for the time being. After resting on the sofa for a while, he decided to go to the R&D Center to exchange for some bullets to practice shooting. Time passed slowly. Lorne¡¯s diary clearly recorded his boring days. September 1: Whitey seems to be recovering quickly. It can now walk with both feet. What a cute little thing. September 2: It¡¯s a boring day. I can only practice shooting at the R & D Center. September 3: Shooting practice. My M4A1 aiming seems to be more accurate. I even hit 10 points today. September 4: Shooting practice. Whitey¡¯s injuries are completely healed. This is too amazing. I envy it for having such a good body. September 5: The air outside seems to have become colder today. This should be the prelude to the Ice Age. ¡­ The past few days had been very boring for Lorne, but he did not want to leave the shelter now. He planned to stay in the shelter until the Ice Age arrived. It was raining outside the shelter, and Lorne could hear the rain even from his room. The rain would probably last for a long time. Lorne wondered if he should strengthen his drainage system. Otherwise, the water might drown his entire residence when he got out. Lorne looked at the monitoring system on the other side of the door. The camera above was already being washed by the rain. It would probably cover the entire door in a while. If he did not upgrade the drainage system, he would probably end up at the bottom of the lake soon. ¡°System, if I want my residence to not be flooded by this storm, do you have a good upgrade plan?¡± Lorned asked the system in his mind. ¡°The system can dig a huge cave beside the shelter and connect a few water pipes to the shelter. This way, the host¡¯s residence will not be flooded.¡± The system gave such a plan in Lorne¡¯s mind ¡°How many points does it need?¡± Lorne had thought that the system would give him a very high-tech solution, but it was so simple and crude. But he liked it. [Upgrading the drainage system requires 80 points] The system sent a notification in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°System, isn¡¯t this a little too expensive!¡± Although Lorne had saved up quite a number of points over the past few days, his heart ached when he saw the price mentioned by the system. ¡°Can it be cheaper?¡± Lorne asked shamelessly. ¡°The host can reduce the cost by 20 points by installing the water pipes near the house yourself,¡± the system replied in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°Sure, no problem.¡± When Lorne heard that he could reduce his points, he immediately agreed. After strengthening the drainage system, there were still many places that needed to be upgraded. Because of the Ice Age, there would be many things that needed to be upgraded, so it was best to save as many points as possible. ¡°Then let¡¯s start upgrading,¡± Lorne said to the system. ¡°As you command, Host.¡± ¡°Upgrade completed.¡± After ten minutes, the system¡¯s voice sounded in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°So fast? I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± He was really surprised. After all, digging a cave was a huge project. There should be some commotion, right? However, he did not hear a single sound. ¡°System, what pipes do I need to connect?¡± ¡°Host, you just need to walk outside the shelter and connect the leaking tubes to the shelter.¡± Hearing the system¡¯s reply, Lorne quickly looked at the monitoring device at the door and saw that there were indeed a few white pipes outside the door. There were also a few connectors not far away. He only needed to move these pipes to various points near his shelter and connect them properly to drain the water. Then it was time to get ready to go. Just as he opened the door to the shelter, the rainwater that was accumulating outside rushed to Lorne¡¯s feet. Rain flowed through the gap in the door into the shelter stairs. Seeing this, Lorne quickly closed the door. After closing the door, Lorne began to move the water pipes. It was a little difficult to move the water pipe in the rain, but it was still manageable for him. After an hour or so, Lorne successfully connected a few pipes and arranged some protective measures. After doing all this, Lorne was going to return to the shelter to observe the drainage situation and see if it was as simple as the system had said. Chapter 19 Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios Returning back to the shelter, Lorne turned on the monitoring system at the door and watched the rain drain from the entrance. The water was gathering near the entrance of the water pipes, and was slowly sent to the cave on the other side. The small puddle at the entrance had already disappeared. The drainage problem that had been bothering Lorne was resolved. ¡°Hmm?¡± Lorne suddenly realized that some strange animals had appeared on the monitor. At first, Lorne thought that the nearby animals had wanted to hide from the rain and found his shelter. However, after Lorne stared at the monitor screen for ten minutes, he noticed something strange about these creatures. Each of them had a gaping mouth. The key was that these animals had very short limbs, but moved very quickly. He could not think of how these creatures exerted their strength.. Maybe because of the rain for the past few days, many fish appeared near Lorne¡¯s technological city, and these strange creatures seemed to have their eyes on these live fishes. Lorne could see the bloodthirsty eyes of these monsters through the camera. As time passed, a monster finally could not hold back and charged towards the fish in the water. Immediately, the other monsters charged forward. The water that was originally clear became blood-red. Those strange creatures seemed to be here for food. After devouring most of the fish, most of the monsters left quickly. In the ditch, Lorne saw only a monster slowly hunting the remaining fish. Lorne did not leave immediately. He planned to wait for the remaining monster to finish eating and leave before going out to take a look. After waiting for two hours, the strange creature finally finished eating the fish in the ditches outside. Just as Lorne thought that this creature would escape like its main group, the monster slowly walked towards the ruins of trees that had collapsed. The strange creature crawled in, then stopped moving, leaving its short limbs exposed. ¡°Is it going to settle down here? No, Boss, I still want to go out! How can I leave if you stay here!¡± Seeing the monster¡¯s actions, a trace of despair flashed across Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°No, I have to find a way to kill this monster. I can¡¯t let it settle near my door.¡± If he were to attack this monster recklessly, the effect should not be too great. Even if his gun could hit the monster, there was no guarantee he could kill it. If he could not kill the monster in one shot and let it escape, he might be in danger. The best outcome was that there would always be a creature that hated him outside his residence wanting to take revenge on him. In the worst case scenario, after this monster was injured, it would immediately go and look for its main team. Then, he would be blocked by a group of monsters and unable to leave the shelter. Although he could slowly become stronger in the shelter, this was clearly not Lorne¡¯s style. The key was that it was too boring to be alone in the shelter. He could only stay in a fixed area every day. This was undoubtedly quite lonely. Even though he had Whitey to play with him, it was still quite uncomfortable. Therefore, how to kill the strange creature outside the door became an issue that Lorne had to solve. This monster was very agile. If he wanted to kill this monster, he had to use the advantage of guns to kill this strange creature from afar. Lorne went to the R&D Center and took out the M4A1. Just as he was about to reach the door, Lorne returned and picked up the Desert Eagle. In the face of danger, any caution was not excessive. Lorne planned to kill the monster before it discovered him. Otherwise, he would be in danger. Slowly opening the door to the shelter, Lorne bent over and carefully walked behind a mound. He took the M4A1 from behind and aimed at the monster lying in the ruins. After a few days of non-stop gun training, Lorne¡¯s marksmanship had improved greatly. After some time, Lorne pulled the trigger. Creeee The bullet struck the monster¡¯s body and it cried out in pain. The monster, which was originally lying on the ground, suddenly jumped up. It covered its injured area and wailed loudly. Its eyes kept looking around, seemingly trying to find the attacker. It was a pity that the monster¡¯s head was buried in the ruins, or else he could have shot its head. Lorne suddenly felt like he was locked on by the monster¡¯s gaze. He was shocked and quickly rolled to the side. But the moment he rolled away, he still felt a pain in his back. After rolling, Lorne realized that the small mound he was hiding in had suddenly dispersed. The monster was lying where he had been hiding. It turned out that while Lorne was in a daze, the monster had accurately located his location and quickly attacked him. If he had not dodged earlier, he would have been severely injured by this monster. Fortunately, he believed in his sixth sense. Although his back was scratched by the monster, the injury did not affect his movements. He had still misjudged the monster¡¯s speed though. Previously, he could see that these monsters were extremely fast on the surveillance screen. Lorne thought that he had already overestimated these monsters as much as possible, but he did not expect that he had still underestimated them. After confirming the monster¡¯s location, Lorne did not hesitate. He quickly raised the muzzle of his gun and aimed at the monster lying on the ground and pulled the trigger. Although Lorne¡¯s accuracy was not good, he had a lot of bullets. The bullets formed a barrage that quickly covered the monster. Although this monster moved very quickly, bloody holes began to appear on its body. Its body was unable to resist the impact of the bullets. Criiii Due to the continuous attacks from the bullets, the monster¡¯s voice became deranged. It began to stop dodging the bullets and instead sped up, trying to rush to Lorne. Lorne watched as the monster began to run towards him. He immediately pulled some distance. Right now, he only needed to slowly exhaust the monster. There was no need to fight it to the death. Click As time passed, Lorne¡¯s ammunition was exhausted, and the sound of bullets being emptied came from his rifle. However, the effect was not bad. There were more and more wounds on this monster¡¯s body, and its speed was not as fast as before. Lorne smashed the M4A1 towards the monster that was running towards him. The monster did not expect the person to throw his weapon at it. Caught off guard, the monster was struck by the rifle. The wounds on its body were still bleeding and its originally sharp teeth were now in a mess. The monster struggled to get up. Its short limbs were slowly swinging the blood away as it stared at Lorne. At this moment, Lorne¡¯s stamina had already decreased by a lot. After running continuously, his entire body was drenched in sweat. But he forcefully held on with his powerful willpower. If he showed any signs of being unable to hold on, this monster would immediately attack him. Suddenly, the monster¡¯s body tensed up, and its short limbs bent slightly. Using the momentum from the ground, the large mouthed monster bared its remaining sharp fangs and pounced at Lorne. Panic appeared in Lorne¡¯s eyes, and the monster seemed to understand Lorne¡¯s expression, and its eyes revealed a hint of satisfaction. Bang! Chapter 20 - Looking Forward The monster that was about to pounce on Lorne was sent flying. It fell into the ground and was still twitching. The expression on its face was one of disbelief. It was as if it could not believe that it, who should have torn this person apart, had fallen to the ground. Lorne saw the monster fall to the ground and lose its mobility. He held the Desert Eagle and collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The wounds on his back were constantly washed by the rain, and he kept feeling pain. However, Lorne did not care about this now. In the end, he had won this battle. After resting for a long time on the ground, Lorne propped himself up and slowly walked to the monster with the Desert Eagle in his right hand. . What surprised Lorne was that the monster, which he had thought had been killed, was still panting slightly. ¡°What a powerful monster!¡± Lorne sighed in the rain. ¡°Bang! Bang! Bang!¡± Lorne shot the twitching monster a few more times. Only after confirming that the monster had lost any signs of life did he stop. [Congratulations to the host for killing a level 2 mutant. You have gained 300 points.] ¡°Hmm?¡± He was surprised that killing such a monster would reward him with points. [System, do you know what this monster is?] Lorne asked the system in his mind. [Because the meteorites landed on Earth and changed the environment of the world, it caused some unknown changes in the world, so various creatures began to mutate.] [As the owner of this system, you naturally have to build the world¡¯s largest technology city.] [Therefore, killing this monster will ensure the stability of the world. Depending on the strength of the monsters, the host will be rewarded with points.] ¡°Oh, I see. Then if I can hunt more such monsters in the future, won¡¯t I have a lot of points? If I can kill 300 monsters, won¡¯t I be rich?¡± Lorne couldn¡¯t help but let his imagination run wild. [Host, please think about your strength.] The system slowly said words in Lorne¡¯s mind. He couldn¡¯t help but feel a trace of black lines on his head when he saw it. Lorne ignored the system and prepared to deal with the monster¡¯s corpse. He threw the corpse far away to avoid attracting other monsters to his shelter. After dealing with the monster¡¯s corpse, Lorne returned to the shelter to deal with his wounds. Just as Lorne walked down the stairs and entered the living room, he saw a black shadow pounce on him. He was so frightened that he subconsciously wanted to raise the Desert Eagle in his hand. Upon a closer look, it was Whitey. Lorne relaxed his tense nerves and rubbed Whitey¡¯s head, telling it to play by the side. He needed to treat his wounds. If he did not treat the wound, it might get infected the next day. ¡°Whitey, help me get the medical bag from the storage room.¡± Whitey flew to the storage room obediently and took out a medical bag. It was a simple medical bag, but it had quite a lot of disinfectant and bandages. It was enough to deal with Lorne¡¯s current situation. Lorne planned to add a medical room after he found some more people. This way, it would be easier for him to treat his wounds and not be as difficult as now. But now, he could only deal with it himself. Lorne first cleaned the wounds on his backs, then applied medicine on the wounds, and bandaged them. ¡°It seems unexpected situations are occurring in this world. This black monster is the best proof, and it looks like there are a lot of them.¡± ¡°Then, where is the space for humans to live? I had to put in such effort and use most of my resources to kill one of the black monsters.¡± If he encountered such a group of monsters while exploring outside, he would probably lose his life. He thought about the scene in his mind and felt a chill run down his spine. Furthermore, thinking of the monster¡¯s powerful attack, Lorne felt that his shelter was not very safe. ¡°System, since this is a technology city, it should have protective weapons, right?¡± Lorne asked the system. ¡°Level One Technology City, the system has gifted you with a mecha crossbow. It can be used as the city¡¯s defense. If you need more defensive weapons, you can buy them from the system¡¯s store.¡± Hearing this, Lorne remembered that he had a System Shop. However, because he had too few points, he had been too embarrassed to open it. After all, it was very painful to see but not be able to buy it. Lorne silently opened the System Shop. An electronic screen automatically appeared in front of him. There were many different categories in the System Shop. Technology, weapons, lifestyle items, and so on were all available. There was everything he could wish for. However, he had to pay points and metal materials. Lorne found the mecha crossbow mentioned by the system. It was worth 30 points. Furthermore, Lorne could activate any weapons installed in his technology city with just a thought. The items bought in the shop would be bound to his consciousness directly, making it very convenient and safe. Looking at his points, his balance was still quite high. Therefore, Lorne bought five mecha crossbows in the System Shop. After purchasing it, a thought appeared in Lorne¡¯s mind. As long as he imagined installing the crossbow in a place in the technology city, it would be automatically installed. He was like a god in the technology city. As long as he installed enough weapons in the technology city, if he encountered enemies in the future, he could lure them to his technology city and destroy them. At the thought of this, the sense of security in Lorne¡¯s heart increased greatly. Then, he slowly browsed the System Shop and found another weapon that could increase the defense of his technology city. [Heavy automatic machine gun. Requires 60 points.] This type of machine gun was undoubtedly very powerful. Although it was a little expensive, Lorne felt that he could still buy one. If he had this, even if the earlier group of monsters had surrounded his shelter, he could activate the heavy machine gun and crossbows to annihilate them. He only needed to watch them die in the shelter. There was no need for him to risk fighting a lone monster like earlier. There was another reason. Lorne had thought that this disaster was just a meteorite crashing, and that the officials would definitely rebuild the world after the disaster. But now, it seemed like it was far more than that. The future might be tens of thousands of times more difficult than now. However, with the system, Lorne felt that he would be able to make some changes to this world. Perhaps he could really build the world¡¯s largest technology city like the system had said. His existence might be able to allow more people to live. He had a bigger wish now. In the future, he had to let the previous prosperity be restored in his technology city. Perhaps it would be even more prosperous than before the apocalypse. Calamity was also an opportunity. But that was in the future, what he had to do now was to protect his life. Therefore, it was very necessary to strengthen the defenses of his shelter. He spent 60 points to buy a medium-sized machine gun. Then, Lorne installed the heavy machine gun on the top of his shelter. If anyone with evil intentions wanted to attack his shelter, this heavy machine gun would definitely give them unforgettable memories. After the installation, he found that these weapons were hidden in a place that he could not see, they would only reveal their sharpness when he wanted to use them. This satisfied Lorne. Seeing the concealment power of his technology city, he was relieved. Then, he went to go to the kitchen to get some food to reward himself. Chapter 21 The government research shelter. At this moment, the researchers were checking the environmental effects of the meteorite crashing. ¡°The temperature outside will soon drop to -7 ¡ãC,¡± a researcher in charge of monitoring the outside temperature reported to his supervisor. ¡°This is troublesome,¡± a top meteorologist said solemnly. ¡°Is there going to be trouble again?¡± The commander-in-chief saw the meteorologist¡¯s serious expression and his tone changed. ¡°-7 ¡ãC is only the beginning. Next, the cold air in the sky will form convection flow. The atmosphere will be affected by this, and the temperature will continue to decrease.¡± ¡°If our shelter didn¡¯t have heating equipment, it might become a small popsicle the next day.¡± . This meteorologist seemed to be in a more optimistic mood. At this moment, he even gave the commander a metaphor, but the commander did not feel better because of his metaphor. ¡°Do the government shelters have heating equipment?¡± The commander-in-chief asked the person in charge of the branch logistics. ¡°Only our research shelter¡¯s heating equipment is the most complete. The other shelters are only installed with the most basic heating equipment,¡± that person replied to the commander. ¡°Mobilize all the resources we can and strengthen the heating equipment in the other government shelters. Prepare for the cold weather,¡± the commander-in-chief ordered. ¡°Yes.¡± The logistician nodded and went to prepare. ¡°Have our communications system and communications base station been repaired?¡± the commander asked another head staff. ¡°With our hard work during this period, the communications system will be repaired by tomorrow. We have also established complete protective measures in various communication stations.¡± ¡°So, from tomorrow onwards, we can release information to the outside world. The outside world will also know the various measures the government has taken,¡± the person in charge of the communications said to the commander. ¡°Is there any important information about the law-enforcement team exploring outside?¡± The commander-in-chief¡¯s eyes lit up with satisfaction when he heard the reply from the in-charge. He then asked another question. ¡°There are some small gains. The enforcement team found a meteorite fragment outside and brought it back for our researchers to check.¡± ¡°Researchers found that this meteorite is different from any previous meteorite we tested. The energy contained in this meteorite is very complicated.¡± ¡°But the energy of this meteorite is very high-level. It seems like it can be used anywhere, but our researchers have yet to find a way to use this energy,¡± the commander-in-chief¡¯s assistant said to him. ¡°Seems like this calamity is not ordinary. I hope we can endure this.¡± The commander sighed. ¡°The real disaster is far from just this!¡± At this moment, an old man in a researcher¡¯s outfit walked in and said to the commander. ¡°Dr. Zhang, what happened?¡± This Dr. Zhang was a very famous biological researcher. Before the apocalypse, the commander-in-chief had specially invited Dr. Zhang to study the problem of biological reproduction after the apocalypse. However, Dr. Zhang usually stayed in his research studio to do research, and rarely walked out of the laboratory. Now, for some reason, he came outside and said something terrifying. ¡°Dr. Zhang, did you discover anything from your research?¡± asked the commander. ¡°According to the information I asked the law-enforcement team to scout outside, as well as some specimens brought back by the law-enforcement team, we have finally confirmed that some strange creatures that we did not know about have appeared in this world.¡± ¡°It is not easy to describe. Let¡¯s go to my laboratory and take a look.¡± Dr. Zhang seemed to feel that his words were not enough to persuade everyone, so he asked everyone to go to his laboratory. Dr. Zhang¡¯s laboratory. ¡°This is a live specimen we captured from a monstrous creature group after sacrificing two people.¡± Dr. Zhang pointed to a creature locked in the laboratory. If Lorne were here, he would definitely be able to recognize that this creature was the large-mouthed monster he had killed. ¡°After our many experiments, we have deduced that these creatures have a strong bloodthirstiness. They will attack all creatures they think can be eaten, including humans.¡± ¡°Moreover, although their limbs are very short, their mobility is very fast, and their bite force is very astonishing, even able to bite through steel.¡± ¡°How did such a strange creature appear?¡± The commander asked Dr. Zhang. ¡°We have yet to discover the specific reason, but we think there is a high probability that these creatures arrived on Earth alongside the meteorites.¡± ¡°Then is there any way we can fight these creatures?¡± asked the commander. ¡°Fortunately, we can still use firearms. Firearms are still very threatening to them. That is why we were able to capture a live specimen.¡± ¡°But this doesn¡¯t rule out the possibility that these monsters will slowly evolve to the point of not being afraid of firearms.¡± ¡°Dr. Zhang, are you talking about evolution? Why are you so sure that these creatures will slowly evolve?¡± The commander asked in surprise. ¡°First of all, as a biologist, evolution has always been the correct conclusion. This is because all kinds of creatures will slowly evolve.¡± ¡°Are you saying that because of the changes in the environment, it will slowly evolve to adapt to the environment?¡± ¡°Although I want to see the evolution you¡¯re talking about, the experiment results tell me that it¡¯s not.¡± Dr. Zhang directly refuted the commander¡¯s words. ¡°The moment this monster appeared, we captured some ordinary creatures in the outside world to compare.¡± ¡°We wanted to prove that this monster originally evolved from a creature on Earth, but it turned out not to be so. However, in our research, we discovered another interesting phenomenon.¡± ¡°The creatures on Earth have also undergone some changes after the meteorite disaster. Their basic strength attributes and various attributes are slowly improving.¡± ¡°This growth might not be obvious, but we can still find it after our experiments.¡± ¡°Therefore, this proves that after the meteorite disaster, some unbelievable changes are happening in our world. These changes will cause the creatures on Earth to constantly become stronger.¡± ¡°Then why can¡¯t we humans feel this change?¡± The commander asked. ¡°When I learned that the creatures were changing, I also began to notice this problem.¡± Dr. Zhang seemed to be very satisfied with the question raised by the commander. ¡°Because according to the theory, if other creatures advanced, there¡¯s no reason why humans could not evolve. Therefore, I invited a member of the law-enforcement team to cooperate with my experiment.¡± ¡°After many comparisons, we found that the physical fitness of the law-enforcement officer has also increased, but the increase is far from that of these animals.¡± ¡°Is the heavens really going to wipe out the humans?¡± When the commander heard Dr. Zhang¡¯s words, he couldn¡¯t help but feel despair. ¡°No, no, no. Although the matter seems very serious, it¡¯s far from reaching despair. When we were dissecting the strange creatures, we found a crystal core in their minds.¡± ¡°This kind of crystal core contains an energy that can comprehensively improve the physique of a human. As long as we can find a way to use this energy, our physique can also be greatly enhanced.¡± Seeing the commander in chief¡¯s despair, Dr. Zhang told him the good news. ¡°Dr. Zhang, is there anything we can help you with?¡± Dr. Zhang¡¯s words gave the commander a glimmer of hope, so he quickly asked him. ¡°We need more monster specimens for us to experiment with. Because there¡¯s only one crystal core this time, we don¡¯t dare to experiment freely,¡± Dr. Zhang said to the commander. ¡°From now on, the law-enforcement team will go out every day to help you capture live specimens or corpses of monsters. I hope you can quickly figure out a way to use this crystal core.¡± Chapter 22 ¡°The cold wave is coming. Are our shelters prepared?¡± As the top biologist, Dr. Zhang clearly noticed the changes in the weather. ¡°I have already asked the people to take action, and establish a complete heating system in various government shelters.¡± ¡°As for corporate shelters or private shelters, they should have their own resources. That¡¯s not what we can take care of,¡± replied the commander. ¡°This is good enough. The corporate shelter or private shelters should have the ability to protect themselves. What we need to do is to preserve the fire of humans and let more people survive this disaster.¡± ¡°In addition, I found that the meteorite fragment is also a good thing. When exploring outside, if we encounter it, we can try our best to bring it back. Even if we can¡¯t use this resource, it¡¯s not a bad thing to have it in our hands..¡± Dr. Zhang suggested to the commander. ¡°Yes, I will give the orders.¡± The commander-in-chief attached great importance to Dr. Zhang¡¯s suggestion and immediately agreed. ¡­ At this moment, Lorne and Whitey had just finished their lunch. [Long-Term Mission] [Kill foreign creatures on Earth and take the crystal cores of the creatures, the quality of the crystal cores will determine the points awarded.] [Long-Term Mission] [Collect the meteorite fragments scattered everywhere on Earth. A certain number of points will be given according to the size of the meteorite fragments.] Lorne was surprised when he saw the two long-term missions that suddenly appeared. Although these two missions did not show how many points he would gain, the system had given him a few hundred points just from the monster that he had killed. These two missions were undoubtedly very rewarding. ¡°But what is this crystal core?¡± Looking at the mission given by the system, a term that he had never heard of appeared. [Every strange foreign creature or creature that has completely mutated on Earth has a crystal core in its head. The host can exchange the crystal core for points.] ¡°Ah, then is there one in the head of the monster I killed earlier?¡± Lorne immediately shouted when he heard the system¡¯s reply. [Yes] The system gave Lorne an affirmative answer. ¡°Oh no!¡± Lorne could not help but wail when he saw the system¡¯s reply, as if he had missed a billion. The monster¡¯s corpse had long been thrown into the river by Lorne, and now it was nowhere to be seen. It seemed like he needed to search the outside world for the next few days. He calmed himself down and started thinking about what he should do next. ¡°System, is there any way to increase my strength? Without firearms, ordinary people shouldn¡¯t be able to resist these strange creatures, right?¡± Lorne thought of the powerful offensive power of these monsters and wondered if he could increase his strength. Although the system had enhanced Lorne¡¯s physique in the beginning, this improvement was not enough to deal with the current danger. [The store has been updated. Host can purchase items to increase your strength in the store.] Seeing the system¡¯s reply, Lorne opened the store and found a new page. It was labeled with various items that could increase his strength. [Basic Swordplay: 100 points.] [Basic Combat Arts: 100 points] [Gunfighting Arts: 500 points] [Basic Firearm Mastery: 100 points] [Level 1 Physical Enhancement Potion: 2000 points] [Level 2 Physical Enhancement Potion: 10,000 points] ¡­ Looking at the many items on the list that could increase his strength, Lorne couldn¡¯t help but feel a little fanatical. ¡°System, why didn¡¯t these things appear before?¡± Although these things could increase his strength, it also gave Lorne a bad feeling, so he asked the system. ¡°According to the detection of the system, some unknown changes have begun in the world that the host is in. The strength of the creatures in this world is slowly increasing.¡± ¡°Therefore, in order to ensure that the host can build the world¡¯s largest technology city, I specially provided these things to the host to protect your life.¡± ¡°What a difficult world.¡± Lorne couldn¡¯t help but sigh when he heard the system¡¯s explanation. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be too pessimistic. The creatures mentioned include humans too. Moreover, humans can also absorb the energy in the crystal core to improve themselves. There is also a chance that they can awaken some supernatural power.¡± The system thought that Lorne was pessimistic, so it explained to him. ¡°I am not being pessimistic. Although this world is cruel, I will definitely rise in this world. But System, what is the supernatural power you are talking about?¡± Lorne saw that another word that he did not understand appeared in the system¡¯s words. ¡°It¡¯s the supernatural power that the host understands, like fire, ice, lightning, and so on.¡± ¡°Oh, God, this is too cool. System, can you let me have this power? I want it.¡± When Lorne heard the system¡¯s explanation, he looked a little crazy. ¡°The host can exchange them in the store with points.¡± ¡°Eh, why didn¡¯t I see it in the store just now?¡± Lorne looked carefully at the items in the store and asked curiously. ¡°Oh, since the host doesn¡¯t have enough points to buy this ability, the system has hidden everything that the host can¡¯t afford.¡± ¡°This is the list of items in the system¡¯s original store.¡± Just as it finished speaking, the system displayed an especially long list in front of Lorne. The dense list filled his vision. Furthermore, Lorne realized that this page was not the last. There was the marking 1/10,000. ¡°System, you should hide them.¡± Lorne felt a headache coming on when he saw so many things. However, he had checked the points required for the supernatural power mentioned by the system. A simple fire control skill cost 500,000 points. There was actually the word ¡®basic¡¯ behind that superpower. ¡°What a f*cking profiteer,¡± Lorne said through gritted teeth. ¡°The pricing of this system is the fairest according to the rules of the universe.¡± The system displayed these words in his mind. ¡°Looks like I have to go out and explore often in the future. Otherwise, if I only rely on the daily settlement to obtain points, I might not even be able to accumulate these 500,000 points my whole life.¡± Lorne felt a little helpless when he saw the system¡¯s reply, but he also understood that this was not something he could decide. Therefore, he began to plan how to explore and kill the mutated creatures. ¡°System, how many points do I have?¡± [Host¡¯s current points: 2000] Looking at his remaining points, Lorne began to think about what he should buy to increase his strength so that he could have the ability to protect himself when exploring the outside world. Moreover, while preserving his life, he had to ensure that he could hunt the strange or mutated creatures faster and obtain their crystal cores. ¡°I will buy firearm basics and gunfighting arts. After thinking for a long time, Lorne decided to buy these two skills to increase his strength. At present, firearms were very lethal to monsters. If he could have the ability to use firearms smoothly, the safety of his exploration would undoubtedly increase. Furthermore, Lorne had read the introduction of gun fighting. This was a technique that combined his physique with precise marksmanship. If he mastered it to a high level, he could even charge through an encirclement of 100 people. After Lorne confirmed that he had bought basic firearm mastery and gunfighting arts, his body was suddenly enveloped by a white light. After the light disappeared, a lot of knowledge about firearms and gun combat appeared in Lorne¡¯s mind. Moreover, this knowledge seemed to have been deeply imprinted in Lorne¡¯s mind tens of thousands of times, so he naturally understood all of it. He picked up the M4A1 and the Desert Eagle beside him. Then, he did many things that he could not normally do. Everything seemed so natural. He skillfully disassembled the two firearms with both hands and quickly re-assembled them. He had gained muscle memory as if he had practiced this action hundreds of thousands of times. After thinking for a while, Lorne walked to the testing room in the R&D Center with the guns. Clearly, he was not satisfied with just dismantling and assembling. Lorne wanted to use the targets in the testing room to test his mastery of gun fighting. Chapter 23 Many targets of various distances had already been erected in the testing room, and Lorne was surrounded by them. Not only were there stationary targets, but there were also moving targets. He slowly raised the Desert Eagle and began to move quickly. Bang! Bang! Bang! Following a series of gunshots, bullet holes appeared on the targets in the testing room. After a minute, Lorne stopped. The targets that had seemed to be in better shape earlier were now in tatters, and Lorne had emptied two magazines. Lorne looked at the damage he had caused in the past minute and was shocked. He could not believe that he was so powerful. This system was really magical. After such a series of strengthening, Lorne¡¯s confidence had exploded. If he were to compete with the previous monster, he could kill it easily.. After a short rest, Lorne walked out of the testing room. The moment Lorne saw Whitey, it flapped its wings and flew towards Lorne. ¡°Are you hungry?¡± Lorne asked Whitey, who was rushing towards him. ¡°Chirp chirp¡­¡± Whitey began to cry anxiously when it heard Lorne¡¯s question. ¡°If you¡¯re not hungry, what is it?¡± Although Lorne did not know what Whitey meant, he could tell that Whitey was not hungry. Lorne, who had been thinking carefully for a long time, still did not understand what Whitey was trying to convey. At this moment, Whitey looked a little helpless. ¡°Language barrier is a terrible thing,¡± Lorne thought in frustration. ¡°Whitey, I might have to go out for a period of time. I¡¯ll leave the food in the living room. If you¡¯re hungry, go and eat by yourself. Wait for me to return.¡± After hearing Lorne¡¯s words, Whitey began to scream again. It even pulled at Lorne¡¯s clothes with its claws and flew towards the door. Looking at Whitey¡¯s series of actions, an idea seemed to flash in Lorne¡¯s mind as he thought of what Whitey wanted to say. ¡°Do you want to go out with me?¡± Lorne asked Whitey. Whitey jumped up and down happily after seeing Lorne finally understand what it meant. ¡°It¡¯s very dangerous outside. There are many terrifying monsters.¡± When he confirmed that Whitey really wanted to explore with him, he said to Whitey solemnly. The Whitey could sense the doubt towards its strength in Lorne¡¯s tone, so its gestured with its claws to show that it was very strong. Lorne was a little amused when he saw the way Whitey kept showing off its muscles. However, Whitey¡¯s appearance was really not intimidating. In Lorne¡¯s eyes, Whitey looked cute instead. Seeing the disbelief in Lorne¡¯s eyes, Whitey flew angrily to the table in the living room. Then, its claws suddenly sank and swiped forward, creating five deep scratches on the table. The smile on Lorne¡¯s face froze when he saw this. This time, Whitey flew to Lorne and chirped happily. ¡°Whitey, be careful. Don¡¯t cut me,¡± Lorne said with a trembling voice as he looked at Whitey whose paws were on his hand. Whitey looked at Lorne with a proud expression. ¡°Since you¡¯re so powerful, let¡¯s go out and explore together.¡± After seeing how powerful Whitey was, Lorne did not object to it. Maybe after he goes out, Whitey will still be his capable subordinate, Lorne thought to himself. He stroked Whitey who was standing on his arm and sat on the sofa to rest. Should he recruit some helpers in this world? Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to escape if he encountered a large group of mutated creatures in the wild alone. This thought couldn¡¯t help but appear in Lorne¡¯s mind. However, he soon gave up on this idea. In this world, the hearts of people were often the hardest to guess. If the person he found was an ingrate, wouldn¡¯t he be asking for trouble if they secretly plotted against him? After resting for a while, Lorne packed some food, carried his guns, and brought Whitey out. Walking out of the shelter, Lorne noticed that the trees nearby had become healthier, and there were even some faint green marks on the ground. Although the weather was slowly turning cold, these trees were growing in opposition to nature. Whitey seemed to be very accustomed to this environment. It was not surprised by this situation. The originally hot weather had already become very cold. Lorne walked carefully in the bushes. He had to pay full attention to this unfamiliar environment to prevent himself from falling into danger due to the sudden unexpected situation. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from ahead. It sounded like an animal chewing on a tree. This made Lorne, who was still moving forward, suddenly stop. Then, he slowly bent down and slowly walked forward. After passing through three bushes, he walked to the back of a tree and looked ahead. Sure enough, he saw a few animals that looked like goats ahead. They were looking for food beside the roots of a huge tree. Their horns were very sharp. When they lowered their heads to eat, their horns would rub against the tree from time to time which was the sound that Lorne had heard earlier. These goats should have mutated. They were nearly 1.5 meters tall, and the horns on their heads looked scary, making one¡¯s scalp turn numb. Anyone struck by the horns would either die or be injured. Lorne could clearly see the huge tree from where he was. Just by being rubbed by the sheep¡¯s horns, a few huge scars appeared on the tree. Moreover, that was not the most important thing. The goats should be very fast. He wondered if they would turn from herbivores to carnivores after mutation. If they targeted him, he would not be able to escape. Lorne thought about the gains and losses. If he attacked now, he could take advantage of the fact that the goats had not discovered him and use his powerful gun arts to annihilate them. There were only five goats in total. With his shooting speed, as long as he shot the five goats in the head, he could easily obtain five crystal cores. But if he failed to hit one and was discovered by this goat, and it charged towards him quickly, he might be injured or even die if he could not dodge in time. ¡°What a tense and exciting situation.¡± Lorne licked his lips and thought to himself. He slowly removed his rifle from his back and began to adjust his breathing. The skill he had purchased from the system gave him great confidence, and he decided to give it a try. In fact, there was a trace of madness in Lorne¡¯s bones. In the previously peaceful world, due to the suppression of the law, he had suppressed the madness in his heart. But after the world changed, he began to have other ideas. He wanted to become stronger and control more power. Perhaps one day, he would become the designer of the rules of this world. He raised his head and confirmed the location of the few goats. The goats had yet to realize that death had enveloped them, and were still leisurely eating their last meal. Thump! Lorne¡¯s body instantly tensed up, and he kicked the ground. In an instant, he appeared in the sight of the goats. Then, he raised his gun and pulled the trigger slightly. After five gunshots, the few goats fell to the ground. After realizing that he had succeeded, Lorne began to pant heavily. That moment seemed to have been extremely fast, but if he had made a single mistake, what awaited him was the various piercing attacks of the goats. Sweat kept flowing out of Lorne¡¯s body, drenching his clothes in a short while. Those actions had exhausted a lot of his stamina. Fortunately, the gunfighting skills did not disappoint him. After slightly restoring some strength, Lorne walked to the corpses of the goats, planning to take out their crystal cores. Chapter 24 The corpses of the few goats were sprawled on the ground. One of them still had some plants in its mouth. ¡°System, where are the crystal cores of these animals?¡± Lorne asked the system in his mind. ¡°Normal creature cores will form in the brain. You can search for them yourself.¡± After hearing the system¡¯s reply, Lorne took out a dagger and began to search the goat¡¯s head. Before long, Lorne found a hard object. He took it out and saw that it looked like crystal. It felt a little warm on his hand. He washed it with water, and the entire crystal core glowed with a faint purple light. So this was a crystal core. He did not expect such a thing to appear in the heads of animals.. This world had really become magical. ¡°System, how many points can these crystal cores be exchanged for?¡± Lorne asked the system. ¡°A level one crystal core can be exchanged for 200 points,¡± the system replied. ¡°Level one crystal core? Does it mean there are level two, level three, and higher leveled crystal cores?¡± ¡°Yes, the evolution level of each creature is equivalent to the strength of the creature. The higher the crystal core level, the stronger the creature will be.¡± ¡°Then what level is my current strength?¡± Lorne asked curiously when he heard the system¡¯s classification. ¡°Combining all the host¡¯s strength, the host should be able to face a level 2 creature.¡± ¡°Why am I only at level 2? I can kill five level 1 creatures alone. How can I be only at level 2?¡± When Lorne heard that the system only rated him as level 2, his complacent mind was instantly drenched in cold water. ¡°Host, you need to know that not all level one creatures are harmless goats.¡± ¡°Goats are a type of herbivore. Even though it has mutated and has powerful offensive power, its character is still docile. As long as others don¡¯t actively attack the goats, they usually won¡¯t attack others.¡± ¡°Moreover, the advantage of a goat is its speed, but its defense is not very high. If the host encountered a wild boar today, the situation would be far different.¡± After hearing the system¡¯s words, Lorne¡¯s arrogant heart slowly calmed down. Indeed, if he had not been hiding in the shadows and had faced the goats head-on, he might not have won. This world was still too dangerous. Lorne¡¯s desire for strength increased. ¡°System, can I absorb this crystal core to increase my strength?¡± Lorne thought of what the system had said before. Humans could also rely on crystal cores to increase their strength. Furthermore, there was a possibility of obtaining supernatural powers. After obtaining the crystal core, Lorne got this thought. Buying a superpower from the system cost 500,000 points. He might as well try his luck and obtain one by absorbing the crystal cores. ¡°Yes, you just need to eat this crystal core. If you don¡¯t die, your physique will improve. If you don¡¯t die after absorbing 10 level 1 crystal cores, you might gain superpowers.¡± ¡°What, there is a risk of death? And the superpower will only appear after I absorb 10 crystal cores?¡± After hearing the system¡¯s reply in his mind, Lorne asked in fear. He temporarily suppressed the thought of absorbing the crystal cores. ¡°The host needs to know that everything in this world has a corresponding price. If you want to obtain powerful abilities without paying any price, then you have to use yourself as the cost. You have to have the courage to face death.¡± ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± Lorne slowly understood what the system meant. Indeed, there was no free lunch in this world. ¡°Then, if I want to absorb this crystal core, do you have any suggestions to keep me from dying?¡± Lorne thought for a moment and asked the system. After all, he had the system now. ¡°The host can buy a level 1 body strengthening potion to reduce the risk of death, but it will still be very painful when absorbing the crystal core. I hope the host can consider it carefully.¡± ¡°System, give me a level 1 body strengthening potion,¡± Lorne said to the system through gritted teeth. Other people had to sacrifice their lives to obtain any progress, so what could some pain be considered as? ¡°Is the host sure? A level one crystal core can indeed increase the host¡¯s strength. But if the host¡¯s willpower is not firm during the absorption process, there is a possibility that the host will become an idiot.¡± ¡°Host, do you want to think about this carefully? The host can rely on his own abilities and slowly accumulate points. 500,000 points for superpowers. This method is safer.¡± ¡°No need. Time waits for no man. By the time I accumulate 500,000 points, this world will have already become unrecognizable to me. Give it to me,¡± Lorne replied firmly. Under Lorne¡¯s insistence, the system deducted 1,000 points from Lorne¡¯s balance and exchanged for a bottle of body strengthening potion. Lorne looked at the green potion in his hand and could feel the abundant medicinal power inside. ¡°System, should I eat the crystal core or drink the body strengthening potion first?¡± ¡°Drink the strengthening potion first, and then immediately put the crystal core in your mouth. As long as you endure the pain, you will realize that your physique will have greatly improved.¡± ¡°However, the host has to maintain a conscious state during the absorption process and cannot fall unconscious. If you fall unconscious, the amount of medicinal power absorbed will greatly decrease.¡± After listening to the system¡¯s explanation, Lorne understood the danger of this matter. He sat cross-legged on the ground and slowly adjusted his state. He wanted to recover to his peak state before using the crystal core. After resting for fifteen minutes, Lorne got Whitey to hide on a tree ten meters away from him to prevent any accidents from disturbing him. Then, he prepared to take the crystal core. Lorne held the strengthening potion in one hand and the crystal core in the other. He took a deep breath, then raised his head and drank the strengthening potion. After that, he quickly put the crystal core into his mouth. Miraculously, after the crystal core entered Lorne¡¯s mouth, it slowly became soft and dissipated in his mouth. Ten seconds later, Lorne began to twitch. He felt as if his body had been splashed with sulfuric acid. His internal organs were corroding bit by bit, and the pain was slowly increasing. At this moment, he felt like millions of ants were fighting for territory in his body and gnawing on every part of his body. Just as Lorne felt that he was about to collapse, a strange energy began to circulate in his abdomen and slowly washed over his body. Just like a warm stream, the strange energy spread throughout his body, and the pain was gradually lessening. He heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that the level 1 body strengthening potion was beginning to work. Various expressions constantly appeared on Lorne¡¯s face, but all of them were due to pain. With the help of the body strengthening potion, Lorne persisted for an hour. However, the pain in his body did not seem to be disappearing. Instead, it was very tenacious and was constantly destroying his body. Lorne felt that two-thirds of the energy of the strengthening potion had been consumed, and it was still being consumed. He did not know if he could finish the absorption of the crystal core before the strengthening potion¡¯s effect disappeared. But the current situation was no longer up to him. He could only continue persevering in order to obtain a new life. Otherwise, only death awaited him. Another half an hour passed. The pain in Lorne¡¯s body still did not disappear, but he could feel that the effect of the level 1 body strengthening potion was about to disappear. After a minute, Lorne¡¯s face became even paler. The power of the level 1 body strengthening potion had been exhausted, and he could only rely on his willpower to resist the pain. ¡°I want to become stronger.¡± Lorne gritted his teeth and shouted. The desire to become stronger made him persist despite the pain. Chapter 25 Another four minutes passed. The pain in his body was still torturing Lorne. He felt like his body no longer belonged to him. However, in this process, he felt his willpower slowly strengthening. He treated the pain as a tool to temper his willpower. Another six minutes passed. Lorne suddenly felt the pain in his left hand begin to slowly weaken, and then he realized that his entire body did not seem to hurt as much anymore. This discovery instantly ignited endless hope in his heart. Immediately after, the pain in Lorne¡¯s body started subsiding like a tide. Then, an energy began to repair and nourish his body. Hahhh During the repair process, Lorne felt very comfortable, making him cry out.. ¡°This feels awesome.¡± ¡°Congratulations to the host for successfully absorbing the energy of a crystal core. Your current strength can be considered strong among level 2s.¡± At this moment, the system appeared. ¡°System, wasn¡¯t I already level 2? There are strong and weak levels in level 2?¡± ¡°Of course. No creature¡¯s strength can be assessed just by its level.¡± ¡°Just like the level 1 goat that the host killed before. It can only be considered the weakest among level 1 creatures. If this level 1 goat were to encounter a level 1 tiger, the outcome would be obvious.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Lorne understood after hearing the system¡¯s words. It was indeed like this. Different creatures had different combat powers. ¡°Then, how powerful is my current strength?¡± ¡°You can punch this tree in front of you. Remember to use your full strength.¡± The system did not answer Lorne¡¯s question. Lorne was puzzled by the system¡¯s words, but he still punched the tree in front of him. He believed that the system would not harm him. After all, if his hand broke, he would definitely ask the system to give him a bottle of body strengthening potion to repair his body. Bang! After Lorne punched with all his might, a loud sound was heard, and a huge hole appeared in the tree in front of Lorne. ¡°System, was this caused by me?¡± Lorne looked at the huge hole in front of him with disbelief in his eyes. ¡°This was indeed caused by the host,¡± the system replied firmly. ¡°I became so powerful just by absorbing a crystal core? This level 1 crystal core is awesome.¡± Lorne was also a little excited when he saw the huge damage he had caused. ¡°Absorbing the level 1 crystal core cannot increase the host¡¯s strength by so much, but the host absorbed it together with the level 1 strengthening potion which constantly changed and improved the host¡¯s physique.¡± ¡°The increase in strength is only so great when the two complement each other. However, such a large increase is also because this is the first time the host is using the crystal core. The increase in strength after this might only be half or less.¡± The system explained. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s how it is. I thought that absorbing one crystal core would have such a huge increase. Then after absorbing ten, wouldn¡¯t I be able to fight a hundred people alone?¡± After hearing the system¡¯s explanation, Lorne realized that he was thinking too much. However, he was very satisfied with the improvement. ¡°After absorbing a crystal core, the host needs to rest for 5 to 10 days to absorb the next crystal core. This is to ensure that the host¡¯s willpower will not dissipate because of continuous absorption.¡± After knowing that Lorne was going to use the crystal cores to obtain superpowers, the system provided him with the most reliable plan to increase his strength. Lorne then tested his speed and found that his speed was comparable to the agile short-legged monsters he encountered the first time. Moreover, his speed seemed to be slightly faster than those monsters. ¡°System, give me basic combat arts.¡± After obtaining a huge improvement in his physique, the first thing he wanted to do was to master this power as soon as possible so that he could fully display its power. ¡°A wise choice.¡± When the system heard that Lorne was going to buy the basics of combat, it praised him. Even if Lorne did not mention it, the system would suggest purchasing various combat-related skills. After all, if he had strength but did not have a technique to match it, then he would only be able to display 50% of his strength. It might even lead him into danger. After Lorne paid 100 points to buy the basic combat arts, a lot of knowledge about combat appeared in his mind. He stood still and digested this knowledge. Lorne¡¯s body also changed slightly after learning the basic combat arts. Now, his body was firm and strong as if he had trained in combat since young. He realized that although it was written as basic combat arts in the store, the knowledge it contained was very useful. Furthermore, it was very powerful. ¡°System, why is this?¡± Lorne asked the system. ¡°The system¡¯s pricing and naming criteria are based on the average price and data of the entire universe. There are countless lives and civilizations in the universe, and this basic combat arts is the most basic.¡± After hearing the explanation from the system, Lorne understood. These combat arts might be very profound on Earth, but they were only at the most basic level in the universe. ¡°I will become stronger, and one day, I will experience all kinds of dazzling civilizations and conquer them.¡± After hearing the system¡¯s description of the civilizations, Lorne could not help but yearn to travel the universe. ¡°Whitey, come here.¡± Lorne calmed himself down and looked around. He realized that Whitey was silently guarding him. He was touched. After hearing Lorne¡¯s words, Whitey also realized that Lorne had woken up. It quickly flew towards Lorne and landed firmly on his shoulder. Then, it began chirping at him. Seeing Whitey like this, Lorne smiled and slowly stroked its head. Whitey suddenly pecked Lorne¡¯s hand and kept crying out to him. Lorne realized that Whitey was pecking at his hand that was holding the remaining crystal cores. ¡°Do you want these crystal cores? Can you also absorb these crystal cores?¡± Lorne asked Whitey in a doubtful tone. After hearing Lorne¡¯s question, Whitey nodded at Lorne, indicating that it wanted these crystal cores. ¡°Will it be dangerous for Whitey to absorb these crystal cores? Will it cause great pain like what happened to me? Will its life be in danger?¡± After confirming that Whitey really wanted these crystal cores, Lorne did not give them to it immediately. Instead, he asked the system if these crystal cores would cause any harm to Whitey. Whitey was the only family member that Lorne had now. He did not want Whitey to be hurt. ¡°After the system¡¯s examination, although it is currently unknown what species Whitey is, there is no doubt that it can absorb these crystal cores. Moreover, it would not be accompanied by huge pain.¡± ¡°System, this is how unreliable you are. You don¡¯t even know what species Whitey is. What makes you so sure that it can absorb these crystal cores?¡± Lorne seemed to be dissatisfied with the system¡¯s answer. ¡°Although the system can¡¯t detect what species Whitey is, it can detect a hidden energy in Whitey¡¯s body. This energy is protecting Whitey. Therefore, the energy from the crystal core is not enough to harm Whitey.¡± So that was it. ¡°Then I¡¯ll give it to you, Whitey.¡± When he heard that Whitey¡¯s life would not be in danger from absorbing the crystal cores, Lorne happily gave the remaining crystal cores to Whitey. After all, he could not absorb the crystal core again so quickly. Furthermore, in the coming days, he could continue hunting for the crystal cores. Chapter 26 - Government Experiment Seeing that Lorne handed the crystal cores to it, Whitey shouted happily. Whitey quickly picked up a crystal core from Lorne¡¯s hand and ate it. Seeing that Whitey had eaten a crystal core so easily, Lorne looked at it worriedly. ¡°Whitey, are you okay? Does your body hurt?¡± But Whitey just looked at Lorne in confusion, as if it did not understand why he was so worried. It was just a snack. After digesting one crystal core, Whitey quickly picked up the remaining crystal cores and ate them. After finishing them, Whitey spread its wings lazily, looking very satisfied. After observing Whitey for three minutes, Lorne heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that it was fine. Furthermore, Lorne realized that Whitey had not changed at all after finishing the crystal cores.. It was still so small and cute. ¡°You¡¯re such a magical little guy.¡± Lorne stroked Whitey¡¯s wings and said with emotion. ¡°We have to work harder to hunt for crystal cores in the future. Only then will we have delicious food,¡± Lorne said to Whitey. Hearing Lorne¡¯s words, Whitey nodded in agreement. It fluttered its wings and flew in front of Lorne, as if indicating that it would work hard to hunt for the crystal cores. ¡°Haha, but you still have to prioritize your own safety, understand?¡± Seeing how confident Whitey was, Lorne warned it again so it would not put itself in danger for the crystal cores. ¡°Let¡¯s eat lunch!¡± Lorne patted Whitey on the head and said. Because he had killed a few goats, Lorne had no intention of eating the food he had brought from the shelter. After all, fresh food was better. ¡°Whitey, let¡¯s eat roasted whole goat this afternoon. Do you know what roasted whole goat is? It¡¯s that goat. You¡¯ll know when I finish roasting it. I guarantee you¡¯ll be addicted to it.¡± While boasting of his roasting skills to Whitey, Lorne slowly walked to the corpses of the goat with the knife, planning to clean them up to to roast them later. ¡­ At this moment, the government research institute was also studying the use of the crystal core. ¡°After our research, Doctor, we found that apart from being hard, this crystal core seems to be useless. Is our method of research wrong?¡± ¡°Additionally, these crystal cores can still be broken. We tested them with a hydraulic machine. When the pressure reaches a certain level, these crystal cores will break. After shattering, the fragments will slowly disappear.¡± ¡°Instead of studying this crystal core, I think we can study the specimens of those monsters and analyze their body structure. Maybe we can even find a way to increase our strength.¡± Another researcher heard this and spoke. ¡°No, these cores must have their own use. I think that kind of use is unique. It must be because our technology hasn¡¯t reached that level, that¡¯s why we feel that we can¡¯t figure out the use of the core.¡± Dr. Zhang refuted their views and insisted on his own. ¡°Did you guys consider if the crystal core is edible?¡± Dr. Zhang looked at the two of them silently and expressed his opinion. They had used most of the conventional testing methods on the crystal core, but they still failed to detect the use of this crystal core. ¡°I experimented locking two different types of creatures in the same room. I found that the powerful creature shows the tendency to devour the weak creature after a period of hunger.¡± ¡°Moreover, the first thing the powerful creature did after killing the weak creature was to eat the crystal core of the weak creature.¡± ¡°I compared the before and after data. After eating the crystal core, this creature became even more powerful. Its physique and energy increased greatly.¡± ¡°So, I think we can experiment eating a crystal core to see if our bodies will change?¡± Dr. Zhang suggested boldly. ¡°Doctor, no one will want to be in charge of this kind of experiment. Moreover, if humans cannot use this kind of crystal core, who will be responsible for their deaths?¡± Dr. Zhang¡¯s assistant refuted his point of view. ¡°Then let me be in charge,¡± Dr. Zhang said calmly. ¡°Doctor, why are you doing this?¡± His assistant was in disbelief. He did not understand why the doctor would sacrifice his future. ¡°You guys have been staying in the laboratory all the time, so you might not know what¡¯s going on outside. Although our firearms can still suppress all kinds of situations, I know that the firearm suppression will weaken as the monsters become stronger.¡± ¡°The research on the use of the crystal cores will give us one more hope of survival.¡± ¡°There¡¯s still no need to be in such a hurry, right?¡± His assistant wanted to say more, but was stopped by Dr. Zhang. ¡°Don¡¯t say anymore. I¡¯ve thought it through. I¡¯ll bear the consequences. Go out and ask the members of the law enforcement team to see who¡¯s willing to do this experiment. You have to explain the dangers of the experiment to them.¡± Seeing that Dr. Zhang was so determined, his assistant could only follow his instructions and walk out the door. Soon, Dr. Zhang¡¯s assistant brought a member of the law-enforcement team over. The federal army of the Federation was always willing to contribute their strength, even if it meant sacrificing their lives. ¡°Do you know the danger of this experiment?¡± Dr. Zhang asked the law-enforcement officer. ¡°I¡¯m aware of it. Your assistant has already told me the situation of this experiment in detail,¡± the officer replied calmly. ¡°Alright, thank you for your contributions to the world.¡± Dr. Zhang bowed deeply to the law-enforcement officer. ¡°Isn¡¯t this something that should be done? If we don¡¯t actively seek survival in this situation, won¡¯t we be doomed? Moreover, doesn¡¯t this experiment have a certain degree of success? If it succeeds, I will be a super soldier.¡± The law-enforcement team member said with a smile. ¡°You are a great person. Can you tell me your name?¡± Dr. Zhang felt high admiration toward this law-enforcement officer. ¡°Captain of Law Enforcement Team No. 1, Gray.¡± This law enforcement captain shouted his name loudly. ¡°Gray, I¡¯ll remember you. Let¡¯s begin the experiment.¡± ¡°Do you need me to do anything?¡± Gray asked Dr. Zhang. ¡°What you need to do is not complicated. You just have to hold this crystal core and eat it quickly when I tell you to.¡± Dr. Zhang took out a crystal core and handed it to Gray. ¡°What a familiar thing. A few days ago, I even hunted two monsters and took out the crystal core in their heads,¡± Gray said with a smile as he looked at the crystal core in his hand. ¡°Now, we need to find a way to use this crystal core so that we humans can use it to increase our strength,¡± Dr. Zhang said to Gray. ¡°Lie in this tank now! Remember to take off your clothes,¡± Dr. Zhang said to Gray as he pointed at a transparent tank with tubes and some liquid inside. ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Gray immediately took off his clothes and walked into the tank filled with liquid. ¡°How¡¯s his status now?¡± Dr. Zhang asked his assistant after seeing Gray walk in. ¡°According to the monitoring device, his body is very healthy. His heartbeat and various bodily functions are also very normal. Moreover, the medicinal liquid in the tank is constantly nourishing his body,¡± Dr. Zhang¡¯s assistant replied. ¡°Um, Gray, you can eat the crystal core in your hand now. Be careful not to choke.¡± After hearing the assistant¡¯s report on Gray¡¯s health, Dr. Zhang asked Gray to start eating the crystal core. Gray did not hesitate and immediately put the crystal core into his mouth. Chapter 27 - The Experiment Success ¡°Gray, how are you feeling?¡± Dr. Zhang asked immediately after seeing Gray put the crystal core in his mouth. ¡°I feel like this crystal core doesn¡¯t have any taste. It feels like I didn¡¯t eat anything. Also, it feels like it melted the moment it entered my mouth.¡± Hearing Dr. Zhang¡¯s question, Gray began to describe the process to him. It felt as if the crystal core had melted. Dr. Zhang recorded Gray¡¯s description in his notebook as data for future research. ¡°Then do you feel any changes in your body?¡± . ¡°My body feels healthy. Awesome!¡± Before Gray could finish, he screamed. ¡°Gray, what¡¯s wrong?¡± Dr. Zhang asked. ¡°It hurts, it hurts. I feel like my¡­ entire body is being bitten¡­ by piranhas,¡± Gray replied intermittently. ¡°How is Gray¡¯s health?¡± Seeing that Gray was in so much pain, Dr. Zhang did not continue asking him. Instead, he turned and asked his assistant. They had installed various instruments in this tank to monitor Gray¡¯s status. It was to deal with any unexpected changes. ¡°Gray¡¯s temperature is rising non-stop. It¡¯s already past 40 degrees. However, the physical index of Gray¡¯s body seems to be increasing. The rate of increase can be considered very fast.¡± Dr. Zhang¡¯s assistant replied after checking the various feedbacks on the monitors. ¡°His body is also absorbing our medicinal liquid to ease its condition. From this, it can be inferred that these herbs can help him absorb the crystal core.¡± ¡°Make sure that the medicinal liquid is well supplied. Once the medicinal effect starts decreasing, replenish it immediately.¡± Dr. Zhang immediately emphasized to his assistant. ¡°Gray, persevere. You¡¯re slowly becoming stronger. After you completely absorb the energy of the crystal core, you¡¯ll become incomparably powerful.¡± Dr. Zhang also told Gray about the situation and used this data to encourage Gray to persevere. Gray, who was enduring the pain, did not answer Dr. Zhang, but he had been trying his best to hold on and did not lose consciousness. Thirty minutes passed, and Gray¡¯s consciousness was beginning to wander. ¡°Gray¡¯s consciousness is starting to weaken. Won¡¯t Gray become a vegetable? Doctor, our experiment seems to be failing,¡± his assistant said to Dr. Zhang as he looked at the vital line that was slowly becoming straighter. ¡°Sigh, is this method wrong?¡± Seeing Gray suffering in pain throughout the half an hour period, Dr. Zhang couldn¡¯t help but suspect that this method was wrong. Just as they thought Gray¡¯s vital signs were about to disappear, the monitor in front of them suddenly rang. Gray¡¯s vital signs began to slowly recover and become more and more intense. The two of them were overjoyed. ¡°Gray, how are you feeling? Can you hear us?¡± Dr. Zhang asked. ¡°Oh, Doctor, I feel very good now. I feel that my strength is constantly growing, and my whole body feels very comfortable,¡± Gray quickly replied. Earlier, Gray had almost thought he was going to die, but he held on with his willpower. Suddenly, Gray felt the pain that was torturing him slowly disappear. He couldn¡¯t believe it. However, he carefully felt it again and realized that the pain had indeed disappeared. Instead, a magical power was constantly nourishing his body. The feeling delighted Gray. He knew he had survived. ¡°Gray, you can come out. Let¡¯s test your strength,¡± the Doctor said as he detected that Gray¡¯s body had become very healthy. Gray immediately walked out of the tank and put on his clothes. ¡°Congratulations, Gray. You should be a powerhouse in the enforcement team now. Let¡¯s go and test your body,¡± Dr. Zhang said with a smile. ¡°Okay, Doctor.¡± Gray was very happy after feeling his improvement. He felt that the pain he had endured for the past 30 minutes was worth it. They walked to the weapons laboratory. ¡°Dr. John, how¡¯s your research on crystal core weapons?¡± In the weapons laboratory, Dr. Zhang met his good friend, Dr. John. The two of them had different research directions, but they both had the heart to contribute to the Federation. ¡°We have already researched some methods to use the energy in the crystal core to power weapons. I believe your horizons will be broadened soon.¡± Dr. John replied with a smile. ¡°By the way, why do you have the time to come to my weapon laboratory? Don¡¯t you usually hole up in your laboratory to do experiments?¡± Dr. John saw Dr. Zhang appear in his weapons laboratory and asked him in surprise. ¡°John, your weapon laboratory is not the only one which has achieved results. My biological laboratory has also obtained some initial results. I want to borrow your weapon laboratory to do some tests.¡± Dr. Zhang knew that his old friend wanted to check his experiment progress. He was in a good mood today, so he told Dr. John about his situation. ¡°Zhang, you guys have also achieved results? This is great. Our hopes for the future have increased. Can I watch your test?¡± Dr. John immediately asked to watch. ¡°Haha, let¡¯s watch together then.¡± Dr. Zhang did not refuse. They walked to the weapons laboratory¡¯s testing room. ¡°Then let¡¯s begin the test. First, we¡¯ll test your strength. Gray, do you think you¡¯re in your best condition?¡± Dr. Zhang said to Gray. ¡°Doctor, I think I¡¯m in a great state. We can start.¡± Gray replied excitedly. Clearly, he also wanted to know his current strength. ¡°Alright, Gray, hit this machine behind me with your full strength. Get ready. You can start at any time,¡± Dr. Zhang pointed at the machine behind him. Gray stood in front of the machine and took a deep breath. Then, he suddenly exerted strength in his footsteps, and with a twist of his waist, a powerful force was transmitted to his hand. Then, he punched. Bang! The moment Gray¡¯s arm made contact with the machine, there was a loud sound. Dr. Zhang and the others quickly looked at the screen. ¡°1048kg. God, is there something wrong with my eyes?¡± Dr. John was the first to exclaim. He looked at the data on the screen in disbelief. ¡°Dear John, this is the result of my experiment. How is it? Not bad, right?¡± Dr. Zhang said proudly when he saw Dr. John¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°How much strength could you exert previously, Gray?¡± ¡°About 200kg,¡± Gray said after some thought. ¡°An increase of about four to five times. As expected, I knew God wouldn¡¯t abandon us. Let¡¯s do the speed test next,¡± Dr. Zhang said to Gray after recording some data. They moved to the place where they could test the speed. ¡°Gray, do you see these two lines? In a while, run from this line to the red line. The speedometer will determine your speed. Do you understand? Just like last time, when you¡¯re ready, you can begin.¡± Gray nodded and adjusted himself before walking to the starting line. Chapter 28 - Ability Test Boom! Gray¡¯s feet suddenly stepped on the ground, emitting a muffled sound. His two thick arms were also swinging forcefully, and he was like a leopard, charging forward at an incomparably fast speed. A breeze blew around him as he quickly passed the speed measuring area. Beep! The speedometer sounded the moment Gray passed the line. The beeping indicated that the speed had been measured. Everyone who heard the sound turned their eyes to the screen of the speedometer, wanting to see the exact value. ¡°20.1 m / s.¡± ¡°Wow, is this even humanly possible?¡± Dr.. Zhang¡¯s assistant was the first to check the speed. He immediately screamed and expressed his surprise. The others were also surprised when they heard Gray¡¯s speed. ¡°Let¡¯s do the reaction speed test next. Follow me.¡± Dr. Zhang was surprised when he saw Gray¡¯s speed test results, but he slowly calmed down. He had expected Gray¡¯s huge improvement. After recording some of Gray¡¯s data, Dr. Zhang led Gray to the testing room for the reaction speed test. The testing room for the reaction speed was not as big as the other two. However, the things placed in this room were undoubtedly very shocking. There were six machine guns in the entire room. ¡°Doctor, are you trying to kill me?¡± Gray looked at the six chilling machine guns in the room and smiled exaggeratedly at the doctor. ¡°Haha, Gray, you¡¯re thinking too much. This reaction testing venue mainly relies on these six machine guns for testing.¡± ¡°The bullets in this machine gun will only cause you pain. They won¡¯t really hurt you.¡± Gray heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°But Gray, you have to protect your vital points. If they really hit your vitals, the outcome will be uncertain.¡± Dr. Zhang saw Gray heave a sigh of relief and explained more. Gray looked at Dr. Zhang¡¯s smile and subconsciously looked between his legs, feeling a cold sensation at his crotch. ¡°Stand in the middle of the room. Be careful not to leave the center. Try your best to dodge the bullets of these six machine guns.¡± Dr. Zhang ignored Gray¡¯s internal thoughts and explained the process of the reaction speed test. ¡°Just like the previous two tests, adjust your condition first. Give me a signal, and I will turn on these machine guns. Remember, do your best to prevent bullets from touching you.¡± ¡°The total time of this test is three minutes. Let¡¯s see how many bullets you can dodge in three minutes.¡± Gray shook his head and quickly suppressed the other thoughts in his mind to calm himself down. Then, he slowly walked to the center of the room. He took a deep breath and felt that his heart had already calmed down. He gave Dr. Zhang an OK gesture. Seeing that Gray was ready, Dr. Zhang pressed the power switch of the six machine guns. The machine guns in the room began making cracking sounds. After adjusting the angle slightly, the machine guns began spraying bullets toward the middle of the room. The firing speed of these six machine guns was different. Some were slower, some were faster, and their flight trajectories were also different, making people confused. However, their targets were all in the middle of this room. Gray listened to the sounds and looked around. His gaze moved around the six machine guns. His body kept moving as he pierced through the gaps between the bullets. During the test, Gray realized that he had a certain sense of crisis. He could even dodge most of the bullets that came from behind. However, maybe because he had not completely adapted to the sudden increase in strength, he was still hit by several bullets. Time passed slowly. Gray kept flashing in the middle of the room. When it was time, the six machine guns stopped firing. Seeing that the machine guns had stopped, Gray stopped as well. Sweat continued to come out of his body, and his clothes were completely drenched. ¡°This test is too tiring. I feel like I¡¯ve gone through a battle.¡± He relaxed and gasped for air. At the beginning, he could still persevere and observe the trajectories of every machine gun. However, after his stamina was slowly exhausted, his body could no longer keep up, and he was hit by many bullets. ¡°In three minutes, our six machine guns fired a total of 1,000 bullets, and you were hit 60 times, and these 60 times were mostly in the second half of the time.¡± ¡°This result is quite good. This means that when you are in a fight, you can even launch a frontal attack and behead the opponent,¡± Dr. Zhang said to Gray. ¡°Alright, these three tests are basically it. Gray, you can go back and rest. I need to organize the experiment report and hand it to the higher-ups.¡± ¡°Zhang, can you carry this experiment in a large number?¡± John asked Dr. Zhang excitedly after seeing Gray¡¯s test results. If this experiment could be carried out in large numbers, it meant that humans would truly master the way to survive in this changing world. They would no longer be as hopeless as before. ¡°According to the current experiment data, this method should be possible, but it requires a lot of resources.¡± Then, Dr. Zhang explained to Dr. John the various resources that had changed Gray so much. ¡°John, I need to go back and organize the data of this experiment. I hope I can come up with a feasible plan as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Alright, I have to go back and continue my experiments as well.¡± The two of them said goodbye to each other at the entrance of the laboratory. In this cruel world, researchers were using their own methods to make this world better. ¡­ ¡°How¡¯s it, Whitey? Is the roasted goat good?¡± Lorne asked Whitey, who was attacking the roasted goat in front of him. Clearly, Whitey was busy dealing with the mutton in front of it and had no time to pay attention to Lorne. It only chirped at Lorne half-heartedly while focusing on eating. Lorne looked at the gluttonous Whitey and felt a little helpless. He shook his head and began to focus on the roasted leg in his hand. After the strengthening, Lorne¡¯s appetite had increased by a lot. He had almost wiped out three quarters of a whole roasted goat. Meanwhile, Whitey was full after eating a few large pieces. Then, they lay on the ground. After resting for a while, the two of them packed up and continued exploring. Lorne planned to wander around the city center next. With his current strength, he should be able to escape if he encountered any danger. Due to the sudden changes in the outside world, Lorne did not drive his truck out this time. Instead, he moved on his feet, so his speed was slower. However, he was definitely much faster than ordinary people. Furthermore, he could move through some difficult paths which were inaccessible to vehicles. With his powerful stamina and fast speed, Lorne quickly passed through the forest and arrived near the highway. He strolled along the road with Whitey. Lorne began to relax when they reached the highway. In the forest, because of the uncertainties of the changing world, he had to brace himself in case of unexpected situations. However, because the view was wide, he could notice any signs of danger with a slight observation, so there was no issue in moving slowly by foot. Lorne chatted with Whitey as they moved forward. Suddenly, he realized that there seemed to be a person lying on the ground in front of him. He quickly walked over. Chapter 29 - Pretending to Be Dead Walking forward, Lorne saw a middle-aged man on the ground. He was wearing an old cotton jacket, and his face was pale. He looked like he had fainted from hunger. The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and secretly sized up Lorne, a hint of surprise in his eyes. ¡®After waiting for so long, a fool finally came. You are a young man, after all. You do not know the dangers of society. Let me teach you today.¡¯ Lorne wanted to help the middle-aged man up. Just as he was about to bend down, the middle-aged man suddenly took out a knife and placed it on Lorne¡¯s neck. Seeing that he had succeeded, the middle-aged man opened his eyes completely.. ¡°Young man, don¡¯t you know that in this changing world, never help other strangers casually? Hand over all the food on you and I¡¯ll spare your life,¡± the middle-aged man said loudly. Lorne looked at the middle-aged man speechlessly. He had wanted to save his life, but he did not expect such a situation. ¡°If you put down the knife now, I will let you leave. If you insist on threatening me, then what awaits you will be a very tragic incident.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? My knife is on your neck and your life is in my hands, and you want to spare me? I want to see what kind of tragedy will happen.¡± The middle-aged man was angry when he heard Lorne¡¯s arrogant tone. ¡°Look down.¡± Lorne was not angry. He just said calmly to the middle-aged man. ¡°Look down? Will your life be saved if look down?¡± The middle-aged man slowly moved his gaze down from Lorne¡¯s head. Bang! ¡°Sir, please spare me, please spare me.¡± In an instant, the middle-aged man knelt in front of Lorne and threw the knife to the ground. It turned out that the middle-aged man had seen the Desert Eagle in Lorne¡¯s right hand pointing at him. As long as he made the slightest movement, the middle-aged man believed that Lorne would pull the trigger and punch holes in his body. ¡°Hand over all the food on you now and I¡¯ll spare your life.¡± Lorne said coldly to the middle-aged man kneeling before him. ¡°Sir, please spare me. Sir, please spare me. I came out to rob people because I don¡¯t have food. If I had other solutions, I wouldn¡¯t have done such a thing.¡± The middle-aged man¡¯s snot and tears flowed out. He kept crying and telling Lorne about his situation. ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Lorne¡¯s eyes immediately glared coldly when he heard the middle-aged man say that there were no supplies. The middle-aged man¡¯s heart skipped a beat when he saw Lorne¡¯s gaze. That gaze was too terrifying, as if it wanted to eat him up. The next second, the middle-aged man decisively took out a pack of biscuits from under him and handed it to Lorne. ¡°Boss, this is my last supply. I¡¯ll give it to you now. Boss, please let me go. Please let me go.¡± The middle-aged man handed the biscuits to Lorne and kept begging him. ¡°Is this really the only one?¡± Lorne narrowed his eyes. The middle-aged man felt his scalp tingle from Lorne¡¯s stare. After some thought, he took out a packaged chocolate from his cotton jacket and handed it to Lorne. Lorne watched as the middle-aged man took out another food and could not help but feel speechless. He had only asked without expecting anything, but the guy really took out another food. This guy was very dishonest. ¡°Anything else?¡± Seeing this guy¡¯s behavior, Lorne believed that he must be hiding other stuff as well, so he continued staring at the middle-aged man and asked. ¡°Boss, that¡¯s all I have! There is nothing more, really,¡± the middle-aged man cried out. ¡°Then you can die.¡± After seeing that the man really had no other food, Lorne pulled the trigger and ended the middle-aged man¡¯s life. The middle-aged man still did not understand why the person who was talking to him earlier would suddenly kill him. ¡°Actually, your death was already determined from the very first moment you deceived me,¡± Lorne said to the middle-aged man¡¯s corpse. Then, he took away the two bags of food the middle-aged man took out. Lorne whistled and summoned Whitey from the sky. Whitey landed firmly on Lorne¡¯s shoulder, and the two continued forward. Lorne, who had taken a few steps forward, suddenly looked back and threw the bag of biscuits on the middle-aged man¡¯s corpse. ¡°Take this bag of cookies as the money for the graveyard. I hope you get lucky in your next life and remember to rob a better person and a weaker one.¡± With that, he continued to move forward. After Lorne left, a group of people surrounded the middle-aged man¡¯s corpse. ¡°Boss, we have to avenge Simon.¡± It turned out that this was a gang. They relied on playing the role of starving pedestrians to gain the sympathy of the passerby. Sometimes, they could even deceive the law-enforcement officers who were alone and take the opportunity to ambush and rob them. The leader was holding a gun. ¡°We hit a stone wall this time. Let¡¯s not look for that person for now. We can¡¯t deal with that person with our current strength.¡± The boss was also feeling very upset for losing a subordinate. But he could not seek revenge on that person yet. He had clearly seen the M4A1 on Lorne¡¯s back and the unique outfit on Lorne. In addition, this person had an eagle companion. This leader recognized Whitey as an eagle! Lorne¡¯s equipments and Whitey made the leader conclude that Lorne had a powerful background. This dispelled his intention to immediately take revenge on Lorne, but this hatred was still buried in his heart. ¡­ Lorne and Whitey continued to head towards the city center. There were cracked cement blocks everywhere around the road. There were even some weeds growing tenaciously from the cracks in the cement blocks. Lorne could still see abandoned vehicles on the road from time to time. ¡°Whitey, fly up and scout ahead. If there is any situation, come down and tell me,¡± Lorne said as he stroked Whitey¡¯s head. Originally, this stretch of the road was very wide. However, after the disaster, ruins of buildings and trash blocked his sight. ¡°I hope nothing unexpected happens,¡± Lorne thought to himself. He would not have been worried, but the mutated creatures he encountered in the forest made him stay vigilant. Chiii Suddenly, Whitey let out a cry and flew toward Lorne. ¡°Whitey, is there danger ahead?¡± When Lorne heard Whitey¡¯s warning cry, he hurriedly walked to a higher slope, planning to observe what was happening ahead. Lorne stood on the small hill and looked afar. In the distance, there was a flat land. At first glance, there was nothing unusual, but when he observed carefully, he saw that there were dense black dots moving in the land. Lorne rubbed his eyes, wanting to see the moving things clearly. After seeing them clearly, Lorne felt his scalp tingle. Those moving black dots were the short-legged, big-mouthed monsters he had encountered before. There were at least 200 to 300 of them, and they were covering the highway. ¡°We can¡¯t go along the road. Let¡¯s pass through the wilderness.¡± Lorne¡¯s heart was heavy. The monsters ahead were about 2000 meters away. If he continued walking along the road, he would definitely encounter those monsters. If there were only a dozen of them, he could still kill them with his current ability. But if he was surrounded by those monsters, he would only become food for them. ¡°Fortunately, I was cautious and got Whitey to scout the path for me. Otherwise, if I were to blindly move along the highway, it would probably be a very dangerous situation.¡± Lorne called for Whitey, and they headed towards the wilderness. He planned to move around this group of monsters and continue walking towards the city center. Chapter 30 - First Encounter With the Terrifying Golden Eagle The path beside the highway was undoubtedly much more difficult to walk on, but there was nothing they could do about it. *Screech* Just as Lorne was walking ahead, a shrill sound came from the sky. The sharp sound pierced through the clouds, stunning Lorne. But he quickly realized that it was the cry of a bird. He looked up at the sky. *Screech* There was another shrill sound like metal sliding against each other. This time, the sound was even closer, shaking Lorne¡¯s mind. The cry that seemed to be a few kilometers away earlier seemed to be just a kilometer away now. This bird was too fast. . ¡°That is an eagle.¡± After hearing two consecutive cries, Lorne was sure that it was the cry of an eagle. This was a creature that had been the overlord of the sky before the apocalypse. Now, the changes in the world seemed to have made it stronger. He did not know who was more powerful between the eagle and a fighter plane. Although all the animals had mutated, this eagle was too fierce. Lorne thought helplessly. I¡¯m probably just a slightly bigger food to him. Boom! While Lorne was thinking, the eagle was almost above him. A rumbling sound came from afar. Lorne felt the sky darken a little as a powerful aura pressed down from the sky. ¡°F*ck, you damned feathered beast.¡± Lorne quickly found a small mound and lay down with Whitey in his arms. The strong pressure pressed down on Lorne, making him feel uncomfortable. The flapping of the eagle¡¯s wings stirred up strong winds, causing the sand and stones around Lorne to rise. Lorne tried his best to not look up and stay still. He knew that he could not match the gaze of such a creature. If he looked at it, it would immediately discover him and treat him as food. Suddenly, a lightning-like shadow streaked across their heads. Lorne was completely covered by the eagle¡¯s body, and the sand and stones on the ground shook even more intensely. Boom! Another explosion sounded in the sky, and the shadow quickly passed by Lorne¡¯s body. Only then did Lorne lift his head and stand up. Lorne quickly looked at the sky. He wanted to see what kind of creature had caused him such huge pressure. ¡°Oh my god, what kind of monster is that?¡± When Lorne saw the eagle clearly, he felt like his world view had been destroyed. His heart was about to jump out of his chest. He saw a huge creature in the sky. The first impression that this eagle gave him was that it was huge. No wonder his surroundings had darkened when it passed by. He could tell that the eagle was a golden eagle. When this monster spread its wings, it was like a passenger plane. Its wingspan was definitely more than 25 meters long. Every time its wings flapped, there were strong distortions in the air around it. When it flew at a low altitude, everything on the ground shook due to the air currents. Furthermore, this golden eagle was flying extremely fast. Lorne had only taken a glance, and this golden eagle was already far away as if it was in a hurry to find something. Seeing that the golden eagle was finally far away, Lorne heaved a sigh of relief and slowly calmed his chaotic heartbeat. After consuming a crystal core, he thought that he was already very powerful, but he did not expect to encounter an even stronger golden eagle. After seeing this eagle, he realized that he was still a frog in the well. The appearance of this golden eagle instantly suppressed Lorne¡¯s slightly inflated mind. However, at the same time, it increased his desire to become strong. He knew that he had to work harder. This world was too terrifying. If he did not work hard to become stronger, survival would be a problem. He believed that he would definitely be able to slowly become stronger with the system. After he became stronger, this eagle that was able to suppress him would be nothing. He would definitely stand at the peak of the world and build the strongest technology city, making the entire world more prosperous. He would also experience the brilliance of the universe. Lorne sat on the ground and slowly took a few breaths to calm his pounding heart. Then, he looked at Whitey, who was in his arms. Whitey, who was suddenly being hugged by Lorne, did not feel the huge pressure earlier. When Lorne released it, it immediately shouted at him, as if it wanted to ask if he was hurt. Hearing Whitey¡¯s cry, Lorne finally relaxed. ¡°Little guy, when will you be as powerful as that bird?¡± Lorne teased as he stroked Whitey¡¯s wings. ¡°Chii chi chi.¡± Whitey patted its chest with its wings and kept chirping at Lorne as if saying, ¡°I¡¯ll protect you in the future.¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll have to rely on you to help me in the future. The two of us will definitely become stronger.¡± Lorne understood what Whitey was trying to say and laughed loudly. Whitey also chirped in reply. ¡°Let¡¯s go and continue searching for crystal cores.¡± He continued to move ahead with Whitey standing on his shoulder. Lorne found no more monsters in the path. This path was safer than the highway. A large number of mutated creatures had fled after the eagle passed through the area. Not even a rat could be seen. In that case, he had to thank the eagle. Walking the path cleared by the golden eagle, he was in a much better mood. The dilapidated ruins on both sides were no longer an eyesore. Looking at the golden eagle¡¯s flight path, it might encounter that group of strange creatures. Lorne wondered if the eagles would attack them. If the two sides fought, that would be great. As Lorne walked, he paid attention to whether the cry of the golden eagle could be heard in the distance. If there was, it meant that the eagle had encountered the group of monsters. He could try to reap some benefits. After walking for ten minutes, Lorne still did not hear the cry. He could not help but sigh. He looked like he had lost a huge sum of income. With the speed of the golden eagle, if he had not heard it after so long, it must have already flown far away. Lorne could only pacify himself and continue walking forward to avoid meeting the group of monsters. Coo coo But at this moment, another sound came from the sky, like the pigeons¡¯ cries that he usually heard. Lorne was a little flustered when he heard the birds. He quickly moved and hid behind a group of trees. The sounds were getting closer and closer. Lorne looked up at the sky and saw a group of birds flying over. There were about twenty of them. ¡°Pigeon!¡± Lorne observed carefully and realized that these were ordinary pigeons. Although these pigeons flew very quickly, they were only slightly larger than ordinary pigeons. This made Lorne heave a sigh of relief. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s impossible for every bird to be as terrifying as the eagle, right? It¡¯s impossible for every bird to have such a huge growth rate. Lorne looked at the pigeons in the sky, and his eyes lit up. I can¡¯t defeat the eagle, but I can defeat you pigeons. Lorne slowly removed the M4A1 from his back and began to adjust his breathing. The cries in the sky were getting closer and closer. Although this group of pigeons had mutated, they still maintained their previous habits. They were in formation in the sky and changed their formation from time to time. Based on these, Lorne guessed that these pigeons would not be too aggressive, but he was still careful not to show his head. He aimed his gun at the pigeons in the sky. Chapter 31 Bang! Bang! Bang! After aiming at the pigeons, Lorne took a deep breath and pulled the trigger. As the gunshots sounded, the pigeons in the sky slowly fell to the ground. Gun fighting was undoubtedly very powerful. Lorne was able to knock down the ten pigeons immediately, but the remaining pigeons changed their formation quickly because they heard the sound of gunshots, making it difficult for Lorne to aim. *Coo coo coo* The anxious cry of a pigeon sounded in the sky above Lorne. Clearly, that pigeon had discovered Lorne¡¯s location and was charging straight at him. ¡°Whitey, hide quickly.¡± In the midst of danger, Lorne quickly called for Whitey to hide further away. Meanwhile, Lorne rolled and dodged the pigeon¡¯s attack. When the other pigeons noticed Lorne, they also charged straight towards him. Chiii . Seeing that Lorne was about to be in danger, Whitey let out a long cry and flew towards the group of pigeons! ¡°Whitey, come back quickly. It¡¯s dangerous.¡± Lorne realized that Whitey did not listen to his advice to hide. Instead, it flew towards the pigeons alone. Worried that it would be in danger, he quickly called it back. But this time, Whitey clearly would not listen to Lorne. Instead, it charged straight at the pigeons. Just as Lorne thought that Whitey would be injured by the pigeons, Whitey quickly approached a pigeon and ended its life with a wave of its claws. When the remaining pigeons wanted to charge at Whitey, it flapped its wings and flew a little further away. Then, Whitey used its speed to move in and out while killing the pigeons. Lorne did not expect the usually gentle and cute Whitey to be so ferocious in the sky. Whitey used its speed and sharp claws to quickly harvest the pigeons¡¯ lives. Soon, the ten pigeons fell to the ground one after another. Whitey also flew down from the sky and landed on Lorne¡¯s arm. ¡°Good job, Whitey. So, you¡¯re that powerful,¡± Lorne said to Whitey as he stroked its wings. Hearing Lorne¡¯s praise, Whitey raised its head proudly. ¡°Haha, then we will be battle companions in the future.¡± Lorne had thought that Whitey was not suitable for battle. Even though Whitey had displayed astonishing destructive power in front of him, he only wanted Whitey to stay by his side safely and not let it encounter any danger. But today, the battle between Whitey and the pigeons refreshed Lorne¡¯s understanding. This made him realize that not only could Whitey accompany him, but it could also fight and grow together with him. He decided that he had to consider Whitey¡¯s combat strength in the future. Moreover, based on the current situation, Whitey¡¯s combat strength could not be underestimated. ¡°Whitey, let¡¯s go get the crystal cores,¡± Lorne said excitedly to Whitey as he looked at the corpses on the ground. The corpses on the ground were all crystal cores. It was better to take out these crystal cores quickly since they were in the wild. Lorne walked forward and cut open the head of a mutated pigeon with his dagger, finding a crystal core the size of a soybean in its head. Looking at the small crystal core in his hand, and comparing it to the goat¡¯s crystal core, he realized that the size of the crystal core should correspond to the strength of the creature. Right on the heels of that, Lorne searched for the crystal cores in the remaining pigeon corpses. Ten minutes later, all the mutated pigeons were destroyed by Lorne, and the crystal cores were collected. ¡°Alright, Whitey, let¡¯s continue. We have to rush to the city center before nightfall. It would be terrifying to spend the night in the wilderness.¡± Lorne put the gathered crystal cores in his bag and said to Whitey. After encountering many types of wild creatures, Lorne realized that this wasteland was not that safe. Therefore, he planned to reach the city center as soon as possible and rest there. Fortunately, there were no issues in the path ahead. Perhaps because they had encountered enough monsters today, God could not bear to see Lorne suffer. After walking for a few hours, Lorne and Whitey entered the city center. They walked into a mart. It was quite intact, although it could not be said the same for the building opposite it. The twenty-story building opposite the mart had now become about ten-story. Lorne walked to the cigarette counter. Bang! The locked counter was smashed open by Lorne with the butt of the M4A1 gun. He took out a box of cigarettes and lit one. Whoo. It was a nostalgic feeling. Because of the announcement of the apocalypse, Lorne had used his money to buy food and other survival resources, not something as extravagant as cigarettes. Now that he had taken a puff of the cigarette, he felt energized. The past ten days or so of the apocalypse had caused him to be mentally exhausted. This exhaustion made him feel a little relieved after taking a puff of the cigarette. After finishing a cigarette, Lorne picked up the most expensive cigarettes in the cabinet and put them in his pocket. ¡°Whitey, let¡¯s go and see if there¡¯s anything to eat in this mall. We¡¯ll stay here tonight.¡± Lorne searched the mart. Soon, he found the section where the food was placed. However, this section puzzled Lorne. This mart was only a small mart. Previously, when the country was gathering resources, they usually targeted large stores. Logically speaking, this mart¡¯s resources should not be so empty. Also, Lorne found that the living essentials section was a little strange. The blankets were all gone, but everything else was still there. ¡°There were others here,¡± Lorne thought when he saw such a strange sight. Because the cold wave happened after the disaster, someone must have not taken the weather into consideration when building the shelter. Therefore, when the weather turned cold, that person took the blankets and left. After realizing this, Lorne was vigilant. He slowly explored the mart section by section. After completely exploring the mart, he realized that there were no signs of anyone living there. Lorne found a small room adjoined to the mart and arranged some simple protective and warning measures. He then asked Whitey to come in and rest for the night. At night, Lorne and Whitey ate the food they brought from their shelter. Lorne found many heaters in the store and placed them beside Whitey, in case it got frostbitten in this cold weather. The two slept like that. Ding! The warning measure he took suddenly sounded. Lorne immediately sat up. He could tell that it was a warning device he had set up. Who had touched it? Whitey also woke up because of Lorne¡¯s movement. Bang bang! There was a sudden sound of something hitting the door. Lorne stood up and slowly walked to the door with the Desert Eagle. Squeak squeak. There was actually another sound outside the door. When Lorne listened carefully, he realized that it was the sound of a mouse. Did he attract mice here? Lorne suddenly saw the food residue on the floor. He realized that these mice must have been attracted by the food that he had eaten last night. Knowing that it was mice, Lorne was not so afraid. He put the Desert Eagle into his waist pocket and drew his dagger. Then, he slowly opened the door, planning to see how many mice were outside. The mice outside seemed to be attracted by the sound of Lorne opening the door. Through the light, Lorne saw two mice outside. However, these two mice were about twice the size of the mice that Lorne knew. They looked like small cats. Chapter 32 The two mice were not afraid when they saw Lorne. Instead, they kept staring at him with blood-red eyes. Perhaps because they had bitten many people in the past few days, they felt that humans were not that scary anymore. A mouse growled and pounced on Lorne. Lorne did not panic. In the eyes of ordinary people, perhaps the mouse was very fast, but after eating a crystal core, Lorne felt that the mouse¡¯s speed was only about one-third of his. Just as the mouse was about to reach Lorne, Lorne moved forward with the dagger. He accurately stabbed the mouse¡¯s head and instantly killed it. The other mouse was frightened after seeing its companion being easily dealt with by Lorne, so it turned and fled. But how could Lorne let the prey escape right before his eyes? He threw the dagger with all his strength, and the tip of the dagger accurately pierced through the rat¡¯s brain and nailed it to the ground. . It had to be said that the dagger produced by the system was really f*cking hard. Lorne pulled the dagger out and found that the blade had not chipped after piercing into the floor. After collecting the crystal cores of the two mice, Lorne summoned Whitey and continued exploring. He planned to explore the east side. He had a feeling that the east would bring him something good. He felt that this premonition was quite magical. ¡°System, what¡¯s wrong with me? Why would I have such an idea?¡± Lorne felt that something was wrong, so he asked the system. ¡°Because the host has accepted the mission to search for meteorite fragments, as long as a meteorite fragment appears near the host, the host will produce a similar reaction. Please rest assured, there is no harm to the host.¡± The system quickly replied. ¡°Oh, I see. I have to hurry then. I don¡¯t want anyone to get it first,¡± Lorne muttered to himself as he looked to the east. ¡°Whitey, let¡¯s go. Full speed ahead.¡± ¡­ ¡°Captain, why do you think we have to search for the meteorite fragments? It¡¯s these meteorites that made our lives so tragic, and we have to search for them now?¡± A law-enforcement team member complained to their captain. ¡°Because the energy in the meteorite fragments can help us better deal with this apocalypse. Moreover, this apocalypse is not just about the crashing of the meteorites, it also brought about other changes.¡± A researcher in the team explained to the complaining member. ¡°What changes? Researcher Lin, do you have any insider information? Can you tell us?¡± The other members asked the researcher. ¡°This kind of meteorite fragment can help us develop stronger weapons. The disaster caused by the meteorites is not just limited to now. According to the monitoring results of the research room, the seaside is not too calm.¡± ¡°There might be a tsunami. Also, haven¡¯t you noticed that the weather is getting colder? This is not the weather that should happen in this season. The cold wave is here, and we might have to live through the Ice Age for a while.¡± ¡°And there are the suddenly appearing monsters and mutated creatures.¡± The researcher did not hide anything from the team members and told them what he knew. After all, those who were selected to join the law-enforcement team were undoubtedly loyal to the country. ¡°Yes, those mutated creatures are really troublesome. Remember the first time we encountered them, we had to sacrifice a few teammates to capture one.¡± A senior law-enforcement officer who had fought with mutated creatures also expressed his opinion. ¡°So the world is already so dangerous? Then is there still hope for us?¡± The junior law-enforcement team member who asked the question earlier heard everyone¡¯s explanation and realized that the world had already become so dangerous. He immediately panicked about the future. ¡°Cale, pull yourself together. Don¡¯t forget that you¡¯re an enforcer. You should protect the people behind you, not lose confidence in the future like now.¡± The captain of this law-enforcement team seemed to be shaken when he saw the junior member losing confidence and shouted at him. ¡°Yes, captain. I will protect the people.¡± After the captain¡¯s reprimand, the fear towards the future in Cale¡¯s heart dissipated. Instead, it was replaced with determination to face the future. ¡°Aren¡¯t we all working hard for the future? Furthermore, the higher-ups have already suggested measures to deal with these disasters. We can¡¯t give up hope no matter what.¡± ¡°Meteorite fragments are an important resource for the research institute to create weapons. That¡¯s why we came out to search for these meteorite fragments.¡± Seeing that the young man seemed to be affected by his words, Researcher Lin comforted him. ¡°Then we have to speed up the search for the meteorite fragments.¡± Cale became motivated. The others were also infected by this younger guy and were much happier. ¡°Found it!¡± After another ten minutes, the detector in the researcher¡¯s hand suddenly rang. The other enforcers were energized when they heard this. ¡°Great, we finally found it.¡± ¡°This is awesome. Will our team be the first team to gain something today?¡± The law-enforcement team members who were scattered around also gathered beside the researcher. Researcher Lin pointed at the meteorite fragment ten meters in front of him. Everyone was shocked by the meteorite fragment in front of them. The meteorite fragment quietly lay in a small hole 3-4 meters ahead. It was a diamond-shaped meteorite fragment. Its entire body glowed with a dark blue light, attracting everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Is this a meteorite? This is too beautiful.¡± ¡°Why are the meteorites I saw before so ugly and dark? Why does this meteorite look like a gem?¡± ¡°So beautiful.¡± ¡°Does this meteorite have radiation?¡± ¡°According to the research institute, the meteorites that landed this time created such beautiful fragments.¡± ¡°It¡¯s different from the meteorites we have obtained in the past. Furthermore, there is no radiation, but it contains huge amounts of energy. This has puzzled the research institute.¡± The researcher explained. ¡°Bring the device to store the meteorite,¡± Researcher Lin said to a law-enforcement team member. ¡°Researcher Lin, why are we using this device and box to store the meteorite?¡± After finding the meteorite and completing the mission, the law-enforcement team relaxed. One of the law-enforcement team members asked Researcher Lin. ¡°Because after our examination, we found that the surface of the meteorite fragment has a huge temperature. If you touch it with your hand, it might burn through your protective suit. Therefore, we need a specific device and box to preserve the meteorite fragments.¡± ¡°But the magical thing is that the meteorite fragments don¡¯t affect the surrounding temperature. It¡¯s just that its surface has a high temperature.¡± Because he had found the meteorite fragment, Researcher Lin was very willing to explain their doubts. ¡°Excuse me, I want this meteorite fragment. Can you give it to me?¡± Just as the enforcement team member was about to place the meteorite into the box, a voice suddenly came from behind. The law-enforcement team quickly turned around and pointed their weapons at the person who made the sound. The person who had spoken behind them was wearing a special protective suit. This person was Lorne who was searching for the meteorite fragments. Although he had moved towards the meteorite fragment at an extremely fast speed, he did not expect that someone would be faster than him. Therefore, when he saw that the people in front wanted to put away the meteorite fragment, he shouted at them. Chapter 33 ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°What are you doing here?¡± A group of law-enforcement officers shouted at Lorne while pointing the guns at him. Meanwhile, Researcher Lin was staring at the protective suit on Lorne in a daze. ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary person. I need this meteorite fragment. Can you give it to me?¡± Lorne did not care that the law-enforcement officers were pointing guns at him. Instead, he repeated his request. ¡°Who are you? Why are you here? Put your weapon down now, or I¡¯ll shoot.¡± The captain of the enforcement team did not comment. Instead, he pointed his gun at Lorne. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to point a gun at me. I just want you to set the conditions for this meteorite fragment..¡± Lorne did not seem to care about the threat of this law-enforcement officer. With his current strength, as long as he moved, the other party¡¯s gun would not be able to keep up with his speed. With no one answering his question, Lorne began to walk towards the law-enforcement officer holding the meteorite fragment. Bang! Seeing that Lorne ignored their warning and continued moving forward, one of the law-enforcement team members pulled the trigger. Lorne was enraged to see they dared to fire. He quickly dodged the bullet, and then his right foot suddenly kicked the ground, approaching the law-enforcement officer who had fired at him. Lorne slapped the law-enforcement officer, and sent him flying. The law-enforcement team member¡¯s protective suit was blown up by Lorne¡¯s slap, and his jaw tilted to the side. Blood flowed out of his mouth without stopping. ¡°Now that I want to take this meteorite fragment, do any of you have any objections?¡± Lorne said coldly to the group of law-enforcement officers. The captain of the law-enforcement team saw that Lorne was actually so fast that he had sent one of his team members flying before he could even react. He could not help but feel shocked. ¡°Put down your guns.¡± Seeing Lorne¡¯s strength, Researcher Lin immediately asked the law-enforcement officers to put down their weapons. ¡°You consumed the crystal core?¡± Although Researcher Lin asked Lorne, his tone said that he was sure of it. ¡°You actually know that crystal cores can be consumed?¡± Lorne¡¯s interest rose slightly. He had originally wanted to use the information of the crystal cores being consumable and able to increase their strength in exchange for the meteorite fragment. He did not expect that there was someone among this group of people who knew that crystal cores could be consumed. This meant that at least one of them had consumed a crystal core and obtained an increase in strength. This made Lorne change his attitude towards them slightly. ¡°Yeah, we officials know that consuming the crystal core can increase your strength, but I didn¡¯t expect someone outside to know this method. You¡¯re really a brave person¡­¡± This researcher clearly knew how painful it was to take the crystal core. Furthermore, he also understood their current situation and wanted to use the name of the government to intimidate Lorne and prevent him from acting rashly. ¡°Can you give me the meteorite fragment now?¡± Lorne was not surprised that the government knew that they could consume the crystal cores. After all, the government was quite powerful. If they did not understand the changes in the world, there would be no hope for this world. However, they had actually come up with a way to make people endure the pain of consuming the first crystal core. It seemed that the government was slowly gaining the ability to establish themselves in this world. Lorne did not think about anything else and repeated his previous request to Researcher Lin. ¡°Sure,¡± Researcher Lin said to the law-enforcement officer who was holding the meteorite fragment. ¡°Researcher Lin, why are you handing it to him? It was not easy for us to find this meteorite fragment.¡± The law-enforcement officer holding the meteorite fragment could not help but panic when he heard Researcher Lin¡¯s words. ¡°You have to understand that I am the highest leader of this team.¡± When Researcher Lin heard that the law-enforcement officer wanted to resist his orders, he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. He knew clearly in his heart how terrifying a human who had consumed the crystal core was. ¡°Follow the order.¡± The captain of the law-enforcement team saw that his teammate had yet to understand the situation and could not help but feel anxious as well. He knew that this person in front of him was someone his team could not fight against. Moreover, it seemed like Researcher Lin knew some inside information. Although he did not want to hand over the meteorite fragment, he could only listen to Researcher Lin now. ¡°It is the duty of soldiers to obey orders.¡± The law-enforcement officer took the device and placed the meteorite fragment in the box. Then, he walked to Lorne and handed the box to him unwillingly. ¡°Thank you.¡± After obtaining the meteorite fragment, Lorne was a little excited. He thanked the group of law-enforcement officers and turned to leave. But after taking a few steps, Lorne suddenly turned back. ¡°What else do you want?¡± Researcher Lin, who had seen Lorne leave, immediately tensed up when he saw Lorne walk back and shouted at him. ¡°Don¡¯t be so nervous. Seeing that you¡¯re so cooperative, I¡¯ll give you a piece of information.¡± ¡°What information?¡± The person in front of him was not here to silence them, Researcher Lin relaxed again and was very interested in the information that Lorne was talking about. ¡°Since you already know that the crystal core can be consumed, you should also know that consuming the first crystal core will cause great pain. You must rely on external forces to alleviate the pain. Otherwise, you will definitely not be able to hold on.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Could it be that you have a way to ease the pain of consuming the crystal core?¡± Researcher Lin agreed when he heard Lorne¡¯s words. At the same time, he spoke about his inner expectations. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I just want to tell you that after taking the first crystal core, you can take the second crystal core in ten days. Moreover, when you take the second crystal core, the pain will only be half of the first crystal core.¡± Lorne¡¯s message extinguished Researcher Lin¡¯s expectations. ¡°Then, will the pain from consuming the crystal cores become smaller and smaller?¡± Researcher Lin was not disappointed to hear something else than what he wanted. Instead, he asked another question. This person seemed to know a lot about using the crystal core. Researcher Lin wanted to know as much information as possible. ¡°This is the main part of my information. The pain from consuming the crystal cores will decrease gradually, but when you consume the tenth crystal core, the pain will increase by a lot. It will even be much more painful than the first time you consume the crystal core.¡± ¡°However, after consuming the tenth crystal core, the person will experience a transformation. It¡¯s not an exaggeration to call it an earthshaking change. This is the information I want to tell you.¡± With that said, Lorne turned and left, ignoring Researcher Lin¡¯s shouts. Researcher Lin did not chase after him, because he knew that if Lorne wanted to leave, he would not be able to make him stay. Instead, he stood on the spot and lowered his head to think about the information Lorne had given him, as if he wanted to confirm the authenticity of the information. ¡°Why did Researcher Lin give the meteorite fragment to that person?¡± The others also asked Researcher Lin after seeing that Lorne had walked far away. Their questions interrupted Researcher Lin¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Because even if all of us attack together, we are no match for him. If we fire at him, the only thing waiting for us is to lie on the ground as corpses.¡± Researcher Lin gave his answer to the law-enforcement officers. ¡°How is this possible? How can there be such a strong person in the world?¡± ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t we deal with him together?¡± ¡°Then did you see the speed at which he sent your friend flying?¡± Faced with everyone¡¯s doubts, Researcher Lin asked the most direct question. Everyone fell silent when they heard Researcher Lin¡¯s question. They could not reply. They still remembered Lorne¡¯s speed. ¡°Is it related to the crystal core?¡± The law-enforcement team leader had heard the conversation between Researcher Lin and Lorne. Chapter 34 ¡°Yes, the crystal core can increase a person¡¯s attributes to an extremely powerful level, but there is also great danger in it.¡± Researcher Lin explained to the captain. ¡°Can we be as powerful as that person?¡± The young law-enforcement team member, Cale, asked. He was the most shocked about Lorne¡¯s strength. ¡°The research institute will soon recruit people from our internal department to bestow this power. If you go back and hear the news, you can register first. The selection criteria should be met, but there is a risk of losing your life.¡± Researcher Lin answered with what he knew. In any case, even if he didn¡¯t say it now, they would know after they returned to the base. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back and bury his corpse.¡± Researcher Lin no longer paid attention to the silent crowd.. Instead, he pointed to the law-enforcement officer lying on the ground. When the originally silent crowd heard Researcher Lin¡¯s words, they remembered that they still had a team member lying on the ground. ¡°Captain, he¡¯s still breathing. It seems like his mouth only turned a little crooked.¡± A law-enforcement officer was about to carry his teammate who was lying on the ground and bury him somewhere. However, after checking, he realized that his teammate was still breathing. He immediately reported it to his team captain. ¡°Really?¡± The captain thought that his team member had died, but he didn¡¯t expect that he was still alive. Regarding the crooked mouth, with the medical facilities in the base, he would be able to recover immediately. ¡°It seems like this person has no ill intentions towards us officials.¡± The captain relaxed a little. After seeing Lorne¡¯s current strength, if they were to fight him, they would undoubtedly end up dead. ¡°After successfully consuming the crystal core, you can also become as strong as him.¡± Researcher Lin saw that the captain was a little afraid of Lorne and explained to him. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go back! Rest well when we return. I¡¯ll report today¡¯s situation to the higher-ups when we return,¡± Researcher Lin said to everyone. ¡­ After obtaining the meteorite fragment, Lorne planned to leave the city center and return to his shelter. The two sides of the road were almost completely filled with ruins. It was unknown if there were any other private shelters other than the government shelters. As Lorne continued walking, he noticed that the door of a gas station¡¯s convenience store was locked. Lorne was wary. The convenience store in such a gas station was usually kept open 24 hours a day, but now, it was closed. It was obvious that someone did this. He also noticed that the gate of a supermarket opposite the gas station was open. There were a few monsters surrounding a shapeless corpse, biting it with all their might, and eating its organs. Blood splattered from time to time. Lorne¡¯s eyes turned cold as he walked towards the group of monsters. The monsters at the outermost edge also looked in Lorne¡¯s direction when they heard a sound. After seeing Lorne, they all bared their teeth and grinned in his direction. These monsters were not like the foreign monsters that Lorne had seen before. Instead, they were mutated dogs. However, unlike the harmless creatures before, the mutated creatures had their mouths so wide open that they were about to crack their heads. Some spikes had also grown out of their bodies. Their eyes shone with a bloodthirsty light. It seemed that eating human flesh had aroused their ferocious nature. Soon, a mutated dog charged out first. Lorne took out the Desert Eagle and aimed at the mutated dog¡¯s head. Just as the dog was about to reach him, Lorne pulled the trigger and blew up its head. Then, he fired at the remaining mutated dogs. After hearing the gunshots, the survivors from the convenience store also looked out through the glass door. The mutated dogs charged at Lorne one after another, but he did not panic. The power of gun combat was that in a crowd fight, there was more space for you to attack. The mutated dogs that were about to pounce on Lorne were all shot in the head. More and more mutated dogs fell to the ground. The survivors in the convenience store were shocked when they saw Lorne¡¯s performance. They knew how powerful those mutated dogs were. Previously, they had four people and built a personal shelter beside the supermarket. A few days after the disaster, they found that there was no movement outside. The supplies in the shelter were almost finished. The four of them wanted to go to the convenience store to get some supplies. When they were leaving the convenience store, they found the mutated dogs. At first, the four of them weren¡¯t aware of the power of the mutated dogs. While one of them was trying to scare the dogs away, the dogs suddenly pounced on him and bit his neck. Frightened by the powerful mutated dogs, the remaining three quickly ran back to the convenience store and closed the door, avoiding the disaster. Among these three, two were a couple, and one was a middle-aged man. ¡°This person is so powerful. Let¡¯s go and join him,¡± the middle-aged man among the three survivors said to the couple. ¡°But will he take us in?¡± The boyfriend asked. ¡°That should be the case. As far as I know, such experts usually have the mentality of protecting the weak. As long as we pretend to be pitiful in front of him, he might bring us along and even use his full strength to protect us.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s no other way, Liz, go and tempt him. He will definitely fall under your skirt,¡± the man said to his girlfriend. ¡°Ino, what are you talking about? Don¡¯t you love me? How can you tell me to seduce another man?¡± The woman was unable to believe that such words came from her boyfriend. ¡°Liz, open your eyes and look at this world. This world is no longer the world we were familiar with. The apocalypse is here, what love are you talking about? What we need to do now is to guarantee the safety of our lives as soon as possible.¡± The gentle and doting boyfriend she had known before had disappeared. It was as if she was seeing his face for the first time. While they were talking, Lorne had already finished off the mutated dogs and was digging out the crystal cores on them. Although the middle-aged man did not know why Lorne was squatting on the corpses of the mutated dogs, he could tell that the battle was over and that it was safe outside. The man immediately opened the door of the convenience store and quickly ran over to Lorne. ¡°Hey, friend. Hello, I¡¯m a refugee here. Can you take us with you? We¡¯ve been here for several days, and we haven¡¯t seen anyone from the government. Can you bring us back to your shelter?¡± Lorne watched as an unfamiliar man ran out of the convenience store and said something ridiculous. Lorne rubbed his ears to see if he had played too much with the Desert Eagle and was having an auditory hallucination. How could this stranger ask him to take him to his shelter? Where did his confidence come from? ¡°Could you repeat what you just said?¡± Lorne thought for a moment and decided to give the man a chance. If he treasured it, Lorne could spare him from death. ¡°Friend, can you help us survive in this world? Can you bring us to your shelter? We will be very grateful to you.¡± The man repeated his words. After listening to the man again, Lorne was sure that this man was a lunatic. ¡°Why should I bring you to my shelter? Why should I feed you with my food?¡± ¡°You¡¯re so strong, shouldn¡¯t you be protecting us? Don¡¯t you have any morals?¡± The man replied self-righteously with a hint of blame in his voice. Chapter 35 Bang! Lorne did not intend to waste his breath on this man. Instead, he raised the Desert Eagle and shot at the man¡¯s head. The man still had that proud expression on his face before he died. Lorne looked at the man¡¯s corpse and shook his head. There were really many lunatics in this world. This guy was really not afraid of death. Then, Lorne took the crystal cores and walked to the gas station. Earlier, he had seen that there seemed to be a well-maintained car at the gas station. He planned to take it to save energy. There were still three cars left at the gas station that were in perfect condition. Lorne chose an SUV and checked the gas meter. It was full, so he drove off in it.. He had sensed some other people in the convenience store, but since they did not come out, he had no interest in communicating with them. The two people hiding in the convenience store saw Lorne take out the Desert Eagle and blow up their companion¡¯s head. They were so scared that they didn¡¯t dare to come out. They hid in the corner of the convenience store, afraid that Lorne would notice them. ¡°Liz, is he gone?¡± The man in the corner asked his girlfriend. ¡°Why don¡¯t you see for yourself?¡± The girlfriend said coldly. ¡°Liz, you weren¡¯t like this before. You were very gentle,¡± her boyfriend whispered. ¡°I realize now that my previous gentleness was towards dogs. I only realize now how blind I was to find such a boyfriend.¡± When Liz thought of how her boyfriend wanted her to seduce that person, endless anger and regret appeared in her heart. What did she see in such a person? ¡°Wasn¡¯t it to save our lives so that we could survive?¡± Her boyfriend defended himself softly. ¡°I have had enough of you,¡± Liz growled. Her boyfriend seemed to be displeased with her tone, and the two of them began to quarrel. ¡­ On the other hand, Lorne was driving on the road while Whitey was sitting in the passenger seat. ¡°Whitey, let me show you the joy of driving today,¡± Lorne said excitedly to Whitey. This was the first time he had driven such a cool SUV. If the world had not suddenly changed so much, it might not have been possible for Lorne to drive such a good car. Whitey lay lazily in the passenger seat, as if it did not understand why Lorne was so excited. The speed of this car was only so-so, and was not as fast as it. However, lying down was quite comfortable. Whitey turned around and continued to maintain its idle posture. Lorne was still immersed in the joy of driving. There were no obstacles on the road ahead, so he could step on the accelerator without any worries. He could even step all the way down without worrying about running into anyone. But happy days were always so short. Although joyride was fun, gas consumption was also high. After driving for a long while, the SUV¡¯s gas gauge began to reach the low levels. Lorne had no choice but to stop at a rest stop to refuel. The rest stop looked a little dilapidated. He did not know what had happened, but he saw a few cars parked randomly in front. One of the cars looked expensive, but it was stained with dried blood, making it look messy. This rest stop was very silent. No monsters appeared. Lorne looked at the small restaurant. The door was closed, and it was dark inside, making it impossible to see what was inside. ¡°Whitey, stay here. I¡¯ll go refuel the car,¡± Lorne said to Whitey before getting out of the car. Swiping card was useless now, he could only open the gas barrel with force and draw the fuel out with a tube. While Lorne was refueling the car, a man was looking at him from behind the window on the second floor of the restaurant with a shotgun in his hand. This man¡¯s name was Mark. He was originally a gang member who had mingled in the city. He looked very fierce and the muscles on his hands were bulging. When the disaster was announced, Mark could not stand the thought of being restrained by the government shelter, so he came to this rest area and took it as a shelter. Mark was very lucky. After surviving the meteorite landing disaster, he began to rely on this rest stop to rob passersby. The bloodstains on the expensive sports car that Lorne had seen were from one of the people they had robbed earlier. Tap tap tap. The sound of footsteps interrupted Lorne. He quickly raised his Desert Eagle and pointed it in the direction of the sound. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯m also a survivor. We live here. I came down to ask if you need help.¡± The boy who came down saw that Lorne had a gun and quickly raised his hands to explain his intention. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t I see you before?¡± Lorne asked the boy warily. ¡°Isn¡¯t it because I am afraid of encountering those monsters? You also know how troublesome those monsters are. You should have encountered them on the way. By the way, where did you come from?¡± The boy explained to Lorne. Lorne stared at the boy for a while before putting down the gun. ¡°Let¡¯s go in together,¡± the boy said. Lorne followed the boy into the lounge. He had a faint smile on his face as he knew it was going to be interesting. When they entered the lounge, someone immediately welcomed Lorne. ¡°Hello, my name is Mark. I am the leader of this shelter. Welcome to our shelter,¡± Mark said straightforwardly. Lorne looked around the hall and saw many survivors. After entering the room, the little boy walked to a woman. This person seemed to be his sister. There was a long scar on her face, making her look very scary. Then, Lorne saw a rather beautiful woman. Such a beautiful woman did not attract the attention of these survivors. ¡°This is my girlfriend, Maureen. Maureen, greet our new friend,¡± Mark said to Maureen when he saw Lorne¡¯s gaze on her. Maureen nodded at Lorne. ¡°Haha, Maureen is a little shy. Eat something first and sleep here. It must be tiring to travel,¡± Mark asked Maureen to prepare food for him. Then Mark led Lorne into a room. ¡°Sorry to bother you,¡± Lorne said to Mark. ¡°What is there to thank? We have to help each other when we are outside. We are all people who survived this disaster.¡± Mark said heroically to Lorne and turned to leave. Lorne sat on the bed with his eyes closed in thought. No one knew what he was thinking. Before long, there was a knock on the door. Lorne quickly got up and opened the door. He saw that it was Maureen, who was holding a bowl of rice and a dish. ¡°Sorry for disturbing you guys. I am even freeloading.¡± Lorne thanked Maureen. ¡°No worries. Hurry up and eat. You must be hungry after such a long journey.¡± Maureen bent down and placed the tray on the table in Lorne¡¯s room. When she bent down, Lorne seemed to see those full white jugs. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ll start eating.¡± Lorne picked up his chopsticks and prepared to eat. ¡°Then I won¡¯t disturb your meal.¡± Seeing that Lorne was about to eat, Maureen turned and walked out. After seeing Maureen close the door and walk out, Lorne threw the chopsticks on the table and lay in bed, deep in thought. ¡­ At this moment, Mark was in his room, cleaning his shotgun gently. After a while, Maureen walked into Mark¡¯s room and sat on his lap. ¡°Did that man eat it?¡± Mark asked as he pinched Maureen¡¯s fleshy thigh. Chapter 36 ¡°He ate it. I saw him eat with my own eyes.¡± There was no sign of Maureen¡¯s previously shy expression as she sat on Mark¡¯s thigh and said seductively to him. ¡°This person seems to have a lot of supplies in his car. Can I choose a portion first?¡± Maureen pressed her chest against Mark and said to him greedily. ¡°That will depend on your performance,¡± Mark said lustfully. Maureen heard Mark¡¯s words and winked at him. Then she stood up from Mark¡¯s lap and crouched under him, moving her head against his d*ck. Originally, there was only Mark here. But after surviving the disaster, Mark saw creatures beginning to mutate. He knew that the world had changed. . With his years of fighting experience, Mark killed a few mutated creatures and forced many people to submit to him. He believed that he was the king of this territory and everyone had to listen to him. If someone resisted him, Mark would let them have a taste of the power of the shotgun in his hand. The people that Lorne had seen in the hall were subdued by Mark one by one. They relied on the convenience of this rest stop to act as the staff and robbed many survivors who came to refuel. It was Mark who had seized Maureen. That day, a short and fat upstart came to the rest stop with a sports car. Originally, he had only wanted to rob this upstart¡¯s food. But while the man was refueling the car, Mark saw Maureen sitting in the passenger seat. She was very beautiful and was wearing an expensive dress. This aroused Mark¡¯s desire. Mark had used the same excuse as he used on Lorne to make this upstart come in and rest for a while before preparing drugged food for him. The upstart probably didn¡¯t expect such a thing to happen at this rest stop, so he fell for it. When the upstart and Maureen woke up, they realized that they were tied up. That night, Mark brought Maureen to his room. Maureen knew what kind of person the man in front of her was, but she was not displeased. She had also realized that the world had changed. Maureen also knew that she had to rely on the strong to survive and live more comfortably. Anyway, she was already relying on that upstart for her expenses. So Maureen was very cooperative with Mark. The two of them spent a passionate night together. Later on, Mark used this method to take in many people at the rest stop. He also encountered several monster attacks. As for the people Mark had kidnapped, if they were willing to be loyal to him, Mark would let them stay. If they resisted desperately, Mark would kill them or throw them to the monsters. Mark was very ruthless. He was also very tall and buff. Add a shotgun on top of that, everyone here was very afraid of him. After taking in some people, Mark became an emperor-like existence. He could give food to whoever he wanted. At first, some people resisted, thinking that his distribution of the items was uneven. But soon, Mark sent this person to see God and threw the corpse to the monsters. When the others saw the tragic outcome of the person Mark killed, their hearts were filled with fear. From then on, no one dared to oppose Mark¡¯s words. They would do whatever Mark told them to do. ¡­ Lorne, who had been thinking in his room for a while, secretly walked out with the Desert Eagle. The rest stop was quite large, so almost everyone could have a small room for themselves. Some people were gathered in the living room. Lorne quickly passed through the living room without letting anyone notice him and went to a small room. He knocked on the door three times and waited for a while before the door was opened. The person who appeared in front of Lorne was the boy who had brought him into the rest stop. There was also a woman standing beside him. ¡°What do you have that will interest me?¡± Lorne asked the boy when he saw the door open. This little boy knew how to lip talk. When the boy went to meet Lorne, he had said something. It was this sentence that made Lorne put down the gun and follow the little boy into the rest stop. ¡®Save me, I have something you¡¯re interested in.¡¯ ¡°Do you need the stones in the monsters¡¯ heads?¡± the boy asked when he heard Lorne¡¯s question. ¡°How did you know the monsters have a stone in their heads? And you realized that I need those stones?¡± Lorne was becoming more and more interested in the boy. ¡°I saw this kind of stone in your bag, so I guessed you were looking for it,¡± the boy said to Lorne as he took out a crystal core from his pocket. ¡°I see. I thought you could read minds,¡± Lorne looked at his bag and thought helplessly. It seemed that he would have to exchange for a portable space. Fortunately, he had encountered ordinary people this time. If he ran into those who knew the use of crystal cores, they would inevitably be tempted by his wealth. ¡°You¡¯re right, I do need crystal cores. Then, what do you want me to do for you?¡± Lorne asked the boy, not looking at the crystal core in his hand. Although he saw the crystal core, the level 1 crystal core in the boy¡¯s hand was not enough to arouse his interest. What really interested him was the boy himself. When Lorne saw this boy, it was as if he saw his old self. Furthermore, this boy¡¯s adaptability was not bad. Therefore, he had the idea of bringing the boy to his own shelter. All he had to do now was test him. If the boy satisfied his criteria, he planned to take the boy with him. After witnessing the power provided by the crystal core and knowing that the government also knew the usage of the crystal cores, Lorne felt that it was time for him to nurture some trusted aides. ¡°Save me. I want you to kill Mark, get us out of here, and give us some food. Once we¡¯re sure it¡¯s safe, I¡¯ll give you this.¡± The boy told him his condition. ¡°Saving you? Aren¡¯t you living well here? Why do you need me to save you?¡± Lorne was puzzled. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled by Mark¡¯s current appearance. He is a robber.¡± ¡°I was a resident of the nearby shelter. That day, my parents and I came here to refuel. We were also deceived by Mark¡¯s appearance and were tied up.¡± ¡°He robbed us of all the food in our car and forced us to stay here and listen to his orders. If we don¡¯t obey, he¡¯ll kill us.¡± The boy told Lorne why he was at this rest stop. ¡°Mm, to be honest, I do pity you. But this crystal core in your hand is not enough for me to help you leave this place. Moreover, I even have to give you food?¡± ¡°Then, what do you need to save us?¡± Lorne did not believe this. The boy had only been kidnapped and did not even look to have suffered, and he wanted to leave with a stranger? ¡°I still want to know why you want me to kill Mark? It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s much harm in you guys staying here. Although Mark kidnapped you, he is providing you with food.¡± ¡°Mark killed my parents,¡± the boy said through gritted teeth. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he kill you?¡± ¡°Mark is a pervert. After he killed my parents, I immediately fought him. However, Mark was too strong. He knocked me out in an instant and even left me alive.¡± ¡°There are so many people here, why does he have to keep you alive?¡± ¡°This is what makes Mark so perverted. He wants me to see him every day. I can¡¯t kill him, so his perverted desires are satisfied.¡± ¡°After that, I would always plan how to take Mark¡¯s life. But every time, he would see through me and beat me up.¡± The little boy¡¯s face distorted as he spoke. He was gritting his teeth so hard that it seemed like they would break. Chapter 37 ¡°After Mark beat me up, he would throw me into a room and let me fend for myself. During this period, no one in the shelter was willing to come and see me. Only my sister dared to treat my injuries.¡± ¡°Sister is a doctor, so Mark kept her to treat his subordinates. The scar on Sister¡¯s face was cut by herself to prevent others from going after her.¡± The boy¡¯s sister¡¯s face was covered in tears as she heard the boy recount their story. She hugged the boy in pain. This damned world had given the two of them too much pressure. ¡°Moreover, almost all the adult girls who survived in this rest stop have been raped by Mark. Moreover, in the past few days, one of his bastard subordinates actually targeted my sister. I will definitely not allow this to happen.¡± The boy patted his sister¡¯s back and comforted her.. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t been guarding my sister these past few days, and if Mark hadn¡¯t needed me to lure those passersby who came to refuel, my sister and I might have already been persecuted.¡± ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t met you today, I would have done my best to bring my sister away from this place in the next two days.¡± The boy told Lorne why he wanted to leave immediately. ¡°Now you¡¯re talking. I was doubtful you would be willing to leave this place with a stranger for no reason.¡± After hearing the boy¡¯s words, Lorne was no longer puzzled. ¡°But your crystal core is not enough for me to save you. I have a suggestion. Do you want to hear it?¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t covet my sister, I should be able to accept it,¡± the boy said to Lorne warily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a sex fiend, and I have no interest in your sister,¡± Lorne said to the boy, not sure whether to laugh or cry. It seemed that the boy had deep feelings for his sister. ¡°My suggestion is for you to be my subordinate. I can save you from here and provide you with a comfortable environment and sufficient food, but what you need to do is hand your life to me.¡± ¡°If I sell my life to you, what can you give me?¡± Many encounters during the apocalypse had given the boy the ability to judge people clearly. He could tell that Lorne was a capable person who could lip read. Otherwise, he would not have sent him a distress signal. ¡°I can give you powerful abilities. Are you willing?¡± When Lorne said this, he looked straight into the boy¡¯s eyes and released his powerful aura. ¡°I¡¯m willing.¡± In the face of Lorne¡¯s powerful aura, the little boy agreed to such a senseless question. Just because of that sentence, the boy had given his life to Lorne. Many years later, when the boy recalled the past, he often felt that this moment was the most important turning point in his life. ¡°Then the deal is reached.¡± Lorne smiled. ¡°What is your name?¡± ¡°My name is Dewey. My sister¡¯s name is Sally.¡± ¡°Very good, Dewey, you will be very proud of your choice today. Now, let me take you away from here.¡± ¡°Alright, how should we leave? We need to plan. I know a path which is rather unguarded.¡± Dewey immediately told what he knew. ¡°There¡¯s no need to go through so much trouble.¡± Lorne did not take Dewey¡¯s measures. Instead, he led the siblings out of the room and pointed his Desert Eagle to the ceiling. Bang! The loud sound of the Desert Eagle sounded in the corridor. ¡°What is that sound? What happened?¡± Mark, who was in a passionate fight with Maureen, pushed her away. Without even putting on his clothes, he took his shotgun and ran out of the room toward the source of the gunshot. ¡°Boss, the gunshot came from that kid¡¯s room.¡± Mark¡¯s henchman saw Mark running out and reported to him. ¡°I am going to kill that brat. I¡¯m tired of playing with him these past few days. The woman who has been protecting that brat will be rewarded to you later.¡± Mark heard his subordinate report and knew that it was Dewey¡¯s room. Towards someone who dared to cause trouble in his territory, Mark¡¯s only thought was to kill him. When Mark¡¯s underling, who had always coveted Sally, heard his boss¡¯s words, his heart stirred. ¡°Gather the men and follow me,¡± Mark roared. ¡­ On the other side, Dewey and Sally were very surprised when they saw Lorne shoot directly to attract others. ¡°They will surround us like this,¡± Dewey shouted at Lorne, as if he did not understand why such a reliable-looking person would act so foolishly. ¡°Since you have become my subordinate, I will let you experience true strength.¡± Lorne did not care about Dewey¡¯s angry shout and replied calmly. ¡°W-why are you here?¡± Mark was shocked when he saw Lorne. Hadn¡¯t Maureen already given him the drugged food? How could he still be standing here? ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a child? You want to drug me with just that much drug? You underestimate me.¡± Lorne looked disapprovingly at Mark. After getting what he was interested in, Lorne was no longer willing to act in front of Mark. Instead, he mocked him directly. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you, bastard.¡± Mark tore off his disguise as well, and his eyes became fierce. He was furious as he pointed his shotgun at Lorne. ¡°Let me show you what true strength is?¡± Lorne did not panic even with a shotgun pointed at him. Instead, he looked at Dewey and calmly said. Mark¡¯s fury grew upon being ignored. Bang! ¡°Go to hell, motherf*cker.¡± Mark pulled the trigger. Boom! When Lorne saw Mark pulling the trigger, he immediately stepped on the ground with his right foot and used a strange posture to dodge the shot. Then, he quickly approached Mark and punched him flying. ¡°Ahhhhggg¡­¡± Mark let out a series of unintelligible screams. Mark¡¯s underlings were also intimidated by Lorne¡¯s power and stood rooted to the ground. They did not expect this seemingly harmless young man to be so fast and powerful. They had only seen a shadow flash before their eyes and Mark flew out. Lorne walked slowly to Mark. ¡°I want to take these two away. Do you have any objections?¡± Lorne pointed the gun at Mark, who was lying on the ground, and at Dewey and Sally, who were standing beside him. ¡°Brother¡­ calm down. We can¡­ talk this through. Calm down first.¡± Mark, who was sent flying by Lorne¡¯s punch, looked at the huge caliber Desert Eagle in front of him and began to speak incoherently. He kept repeating these words while retreating backward. Bang bang bang bang. Lorne fired four shots at Mark, shooting his limbs. ¡°Ahhhhhh¡± Mark let out a miserable scream, but he did not faint. ¡°I don¡¯t think me killing him means anything. It is best if you take revenge yourself,¡± Lorne said to Dewey as he threw his dagger at his feet. Dewey looked at Mark, who had lost the ability to resist, and the dagger in front of him. A trace of fierceness flashed across his eyes. Dewey¡¯s eyes began to turn red. He shouted and picked up the dagger from the ground. He charged towards Mark and stabbed his blade into Mark¡¯s neck. ¡°Ag..gghh..ghh¡± Mark, who was stabbed in the neck, lost the ability to speak and could only let out broken sounds. ¡°Ah, father, mother, I¡¯ve avenged you.¡± Dewey still did not stop. He kept stabbing the dagger into Mark¡¯s body. Chapter 38 Mark quickly breathed his last. His corpse was ravaged, but Dewey still kept on venting his anger on the corpse. Lorne, who had been watching from the side, narrowed his eyes and looked outside the rest stop. His muscles began to tense. ¡°Monsters! Monsters! There are so many monsters outside!¡± A person who was standing guard outside the door scrambled in and shouted at the people inside. The people in the room were shocked. They quickly walked to the window and looked outside. There were over a hundred monsters outside the rest stop, and mutated animals were also gathering from all directions. ¡°Alright, it¡¯s time for us to leave.¡± Lorne stopped Dewey, who was venting his anger on Mark. . ¡°Do you know how to use a gun?¡± Lorne picked up Mark¡¯s shotgun and took the bullets from the dead Mark and said to Dewey. ¡°Yes.¡± Dewey nodded affirmatively. The operation of the shotgun was not complicated. All he had to do was load the bullets and pull the trigger. Dewey took the shotgun and walked to his sister¡¯s side. He looked very fierce. After watching Dewey kill Mark and now holding a gun, the others suddenly felt that Dewey was even fiercer than Mark. Whoosh! The shattering of the glass downstairs seemed to be a signal, letting the people resting on the second floor know that death was coming. ¡°Follow behind me while I clear the path. If there is a monster that I did not hit, you will blast its head with your gun. We will charge out now,¡± Lorne said to Dewey. ¡°Sir, please save us. Can you bring us along?¡± When the others in the room heard that Lorne was going to bring Dewey and his sister out, they blocked Lorne and begged him to bring them out. ¡°My ability is limited, and I can¡¯t bring many people with me. You need to fend for yourselves.¡± Lorne ignored their pleas. If he were to bring so many people out, he would undoubtedly die here. ¡°Sir, save us. Save us.¡± They immediately knelt at the entrance of the room and blocked his path. Bang! Seeing that these people did not know what was good for them and even dared to block his path, Lorne immediately picked up his Desert Eagle and blew up the leader¡¯s head. ¡°Anyone who dares to block my way will end up like him,¡± Lorne roared at the remaining people with the Desert Eagle. When the others saw that Lorne had killed a person without a word, they immediately spread out and did not dare to block his path. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Remember to follow me closely.¡± Lorne said to Dewey, who was behind him, and walked out. ¡°What should we do? The monsters are about to rush in.¡± The remaining survivors began to discuss. ¡°We can follow him. He didn¡¯t say we can¡¯t follow them,¡± one of the survivors suggested. ¡°Will he kill us?¡± a survivor said worriedly. ¡°How can he have the time to fight us when we¡¯re outside? He has to focus on killing the monsters. No matter what, we can¡¯t just sit here and wait for the monsters to come and eat us.¡± The survivor took an iron rod and walked out. The remaining people followed after him. Roar! A monster charged to the top of the stairs and saw Lorne. It immediately pounced on him. Lorne raised the Desert Eagle and aimed at the monster¡¯s head, killing it. Lorne did not panic when facing such a monster. He realized that this monster was different from the first monsters he saw. It was not fast. So he instructed Dewey, ¡°This monster is not fast. You can shoot them easily. Remember, you are the last barrier to protect your sister. If I miss a monster and you don¡¯t deal with it, only death awaits you both.¡± Dewey nodded fiercely. He glanced at his sister. He absolutely could not let her be hurt. She was the only family he had now. ¡°The other people are also following us. They seem to want to go out with us. Should we chase them away?¡± When Dewey turned around, he realized that the survivors in the room were following behind the three of them. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They will only die if they follow us.¡± After saying that, Lorne continued to open the path. Bang bang bang bang bang. The muzzle of Lorne¡¯s gun did not stop for a moment. He aimed at the monsters which charged at him and pulled the trigger, blowing their heads up. Bang! Dewey did not stay idle either. He used his shotgun to bombard the monsters that were approaching him. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say we can follow them? Let them open the path for us. We just have to follow them,¡± the person who suggested following Lorne said proudly. ¡°We just have to hang on like this and let them work for us. That way, we can get out.¡± ¡°Haha, that¡¯s right, just let them work hard for us!¡± The remaining people also echoed this person. Thick black blood kept splashing onto the protective suit on Lorne¡¯s body. The sight was bloody like hell. ¡°Boss, those people are taking advantage of us.¡± Dewey saw the group of people following behind him and said angrily to Lorne. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They will regret it soon,¡± Lorne replied without even looking back. These monsters had a number advantage, but they seemed to have some intelligence and didn¡¯t charge forward blindly. When they saw they could not win against Lorne, they began to attack him in an organized manner, distracting him. Meanwhile, the other monsters circled around him. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The screams of the ¡®lucky¡¯ survivors quickly followed. ¡°It¡¯s not that easy to take advantage of me,¡± Lorne mumbled. Then, he ignored the screams and focused on dealing with the monsters. He pushed his gun combat arts to the limits. His stamina also began to drain faster. Fortunately, he had brought quite a number of Desert Eagle bullets with him, or he would really not have enough. Originally, Lorne could have charged out alone without even using a weapon, but because he had to protect Dewey and Sally, he was using a gun because it had a larger range. Behind Lorne, blood was constantly spurting out. Those monsters were fighting to devour the corpses of the survivors. They didn¡¯t care which part they ate and bit anything they got. Some monsters even put their mouths on the ground, drinking the human blood that was flowing on the ground. Sally looked at the bloody scene behind her and turned pale in fright. Perhaps because the survivors behind had attracted some monsters, the pressure on Lorne¡¯s side decreased greatly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he broke through the encirclement and arrived in front of his SUV. Lorne quickly opened the car door, took out the M4A1 he had put in the driver¡¯s seat, and fired at the monsters. The fast speed of the M4A1 soon cleared a space in front of him. ¡°Quick, you two sit behind me.¡± Lorne shouted at the siblings as he shot at the monsters charging at him. The siblings quickly reacted. Taking advantage of the momentary empty space, they opened the door and got into the back of the SUV. Lorne quickly got into the driver¡¯s seat. Buzz¡­ The powerful engine of the off-road vehicle roared. Chapter 39 The SUV showed its might. Its steel skeleton roared as it crushed the monsters and the mutated animals in its path. The clean SUV was immediately stained with the blood and flesh of these creatures. When they were about to leave the rest stop, Lorne took out his M4A1 and aimed at an oil barrel beside the gas station. Then, he pulled the trigger. Boom! Raging flames instantly surrounded the rest stop. The monsters inside were also enveloped by the flames and turned into flame sources, further strengthening the flames. A huge heat wave spread out from the center of the gas station, instantly raising the temperature. Thick smoke enveloped the entire rest stop. A burning smell flowed in the air and slowly spread as the air flowed. . Most of the monsters that had gathered at the gas station were burnt to death, and the remaining monsters could only flee. Watching from the SUV, Lorne heaved a sigh of relief as he watched the monsters slowly being devoured by the flames. He had only wanted to bring Dewey and Sally away, but when he saw the gas station, he suddenly had this thought. If he just left, the monsters might chase after him, and the gas station would give him a chance to exterminate them. This result was beyond Lorne¡¯s expectations. The explosion of the gas station had killed so many monsters. Seeing so many monsters die, Lorne¡¯s first thought was that he was rich. How many points would the crystal cores of so many monsters add up to? ¡°Boss, you¡¯re really awesome,¡± Dewey clearly saw the damage caused by Lorne¡¯s actions and said excitedly. ¡°A simple matter¡­¡± Seeing Dewey¡¯s admiration for him, Lorne took out a cigarette and lit it before saying lightly. The few of them quietly watched as the monsters were devoured by the flames. 30 minutes later, the flames began to weaken, and the monster¡¯s screams gradually disappeared. Lorne then brought the siblings to the rest stop to gather crystal cores. When they returned to the rest stop, everything was already in ruins. The walls that were still standing were slowly falling off, stained with the blood of many monsters. The ground became uneven, and the broken limbs and flesh of the survivors and the monsters were scattered everywhere. There were still some monsters who were not dead and were struggling at death¡¯s door. When they saw Lorne¡¯s group, they still wanted to open their mouths and attack them. Lorne shot them down. Human flesh and blood seemed to have a fatal attraction to these monsters. Also, when these monsters encountered mutated creatures, they might be able to command them to fight together. Therefore, they had to be dealt with cleanly. ¡°Dewey, you should know where the monster¡¯s crystal core is, right? Collect all the crystal cores here. If you encounter a monster that is not completely dead, use your shotgun to send it to God.¡± After killing a few monsters, Lorne turned to Dewey. ¡°Alright, Boss.¡± Dewey quickly followed Lorne¡¯s instructions and collected the crystal cores. The two of them were very fast. In ten minutes, they had gathered all the crystal cores in the rest stop. ¡°Good work,¡± Lorne said to him as he took the crystal cores that Dewey had collected. ¡°Boss, if it weren¡¯t for you, I would have lost my life today. This little work is nothing. Also, boss, don¡¯t forget that my life is yours now.¡± Dewey had originally thought that Lorne was not qualified to be his boss, but after the battle just now, Dewey realized how terrifying this man was. So, he spoke sincerely. Looking at Dewey¡¯s respectful gaze, Lorne felt that the battle had not been in vain. He was touched and gently punched Dewey¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good brat!¡± ¡°Alright, stop being so emotional. Let¡¯s go.¡± Lorne got the siblings into the SUV and left the rest stop. ¡­ The SUV was moving quickly on the road. Lorne led the siblings to his shelter. After an entire night of travel, Lorne had already driven more than 300 kilometers on the road. ¡°Let¡¯s take a break,¡± Lorne stopped the SUV and said to Dewey and Sally who were sleeping in the backseat. ¡°Boss, are we there?¡± Dewey asked as he felt the SUV stop and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Not yet. Let¡¯s take a break and eat something,¡± Lorne said. Then he took out food and water from the back of the SUV and shared them with Dewey and Sally. ¡°Has the radio broadcast been restored?¡± Lorne who was eating with Whitey asked curiously when he saw Dewey running to the front of the SUV and adjusting the radio. ¡°Yes, it was restored the day before yesterday. We should be able to listen to the news after some adjustments.¡± Dewey replied. He then switched the radio on and slowly adjusted the radio frequencies. ¡°Done,¡± Dewey suddenly said happily after three minutes. Lorne heard Dewey¡¯s voice and turned to look in Dewey¡¯s direction. He realized that the radio in the car was working. ¡°This is Cosmos City¡¯s military base. This is a news broadcast from Cosmos City¡¯s military base. Everyone in Cosmos City and nearby areas, please pay attention if you are hearing the announcement.¡± ¡°If you hear the broadcast and are not in Cosmos City¡¯s shelter, please come to Cosmos City¡¯s military base immediately.¡± ¡°People who are in the shelters and have not been moved to the military base, please come to the military base immediately when you hear the announcement. Our military base will provide you with living quarters and food.¡± ¡°Our base will release a large number of airdrop bags in the surrounding areas and even further away. There are food kits and weapons in the airdrop bags for people who are not in the military base. Please use the things in the airdrop bag to come to the military base as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Cosmos City¡¯s military base. Come to Cosmos City¡¯s military base. Everyone in Cosmos City and its surroundings, please pay attention. If you are hearing this announcement, please come to Cosmos City¡¯s military base immediately to seek refuge. We will provide you with living quarters and food.¡± The radio channel played the information broadcast by the military base over and over again. ¡°What is this military base? Aren¡¯t people living in shelters? Why do they suddenly want us to go to the military base?¡± Lorne asked Dewey after listening to the broadcast. ¡°Boss, you didn¡¯t hear the broadcast on the first day, right? This military base is actually a city built by relying on shelters.¡± ¡°It seems like there will be more disasters in the future. Moreover, the animals in this world are constantly changing. In order to fight off these dangers, the government built these military bases. Each city will have one or a few to protect the people.¡± ¡°The previous shelters were only to avoid the meteorite disaster, but now, the meteorite disaster isn¡¯t the main thing. The main disaster is still this damned weather and those mutated creatures.¡± Dewey clearly realized that the weather was turning cold. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Lorne understood. It seemed like the country had also realized the power of these mutated animals and the sudden appearance of those monsters. If they only relied on the shelters that had no defensive measures, it would probably cause a lot of casualties. Just the mutation of the mice that were being treated as food might cause a huge loss. As expected of the government, they have prepared a solution so quickly. Lorne sighed in his heart. ¡°Boss, are we going to the military base? I heard that the defense measures there are very strong. We don¡¯t need to worry about natural changes and monster attacks.¡± Seeing that Lorne was deep in thought, Dewey thought that he was considering whether he should go to the military base to take refuge. Chapter 40 ¡°No, let¡¯s return to my base. My base is no weaker than the government¡¯s military bases,¡± Lorne said to Dewey. ¡°Really, Boss?¡± Dewey was instantly interested. ¡°Haha, you¡¯ll know when you see it.¡± Although Lorne had never seen a military base, he believed that the base built by his system would be the best on this planet. If even his own base could not protect against the monsters, the military base would be even more hopeless. He was confident in his base which could be upgraded constantly. ¡­ After finishing his food, Lorne said to Dewey and Sally, ¡°Let¡¯s set off. The earlier we reach the base, the safer we will be.¡± Lorne and the siblings quickly got into the SUV and drove to Lorne¡¯s level one technology city.. The car arrived at Lorne¡¯s shelter after a while. Lorne parked the car near his shelter. ¡°Here we are,¡± Lorne said after getting out of the car. ¡°Boss, is this where your base is? Why don¡¯t I see it?¡± Dewey looked at the empty space. There was a small mound of soil before him, but nothing that seemed to resemble a building. ¡°Haha, my shelter is built underground. Our gate is in front.¡± Seeing Dewey¡¯s puzzled expression, Lorne laughed and explained to him. ¡°Oh, oh, I see!¡± Dewey scratched his head in embarrassment. ¡°Let¡¯s go in.¡± Lorne smiled at Dewey. Lorne opened the door to his shelter and led the siblings into his residence. ¡°Wow, this place is so comfortable,¡± Sally exclaimed as soon as she walked into the shelter. After walking into the shelter, Lorne realized something embarrassing. His shelter seemed to be a little small, and he did not have any extra rooms for Dewey and Sally to stay in. ¡°You two can make do in the living room tonight. There will be a place for you tomorrow,¡± Lorne said to Sally and Dewey awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Boss. We can stay anywhere.¡± After spending some time together, Dewey could tell that his boss was a kind person. Therefore, he did not feel displeased about these trivial matters, and expressed that there was no issue in staying in the living room. As for what Lorne said about having a place tomorrow, Dewey was not too serious about it. Perhaps this was just his boss¡¯s polite tone. After all, the room was only so big. How could Boss create a room out of thin air? Lorne saw that Dewey did not seem to believe his words, nor did he think of explaining it. Instead, he asked the system in his mind. ¡°System, can I build a city above our current shelter?¡± Lorne heard the announcement in the afternoon that the government had built cities to act as military fortresses to fend off disasters and monsters. This thought appeared in his mind. After all, it seemed a little unreasonable for his system which was named Most Powerful Technology City System to not build a city. ¡°As long as the host gathers enough materials, the system can build the corresponding city for the host.¡± ¡°What kind of city can I build?¡± ¡°Host can go to the R&D Center to look for the city blueprints. Then, you can buy it with points and search for the corresponding materials.¡± ¡°What? I need points to build a city. What do I even need you for?¡± ¡°All the services the host receives from the system require points.¡± Faced with Lorne¡¯s dissatisfaction, the system only said softly and ignored him. Seeing that the system was so stubborn, Lorne had no intention of arguing with it. Instead, he walked to the R&D Center to see what city blueprints he could buy. ¡°F*ck, system, are you kidding me? Why are the blueprints for this city so expensive?¡± Lorne was searching the blueprints calmly, but when he saw the price, he lost his cool and roared at the system. ¡°The pricing of everything in the system is based on the principle of fairness and justice. There is absolutely no exaggeration. The host knows that building a city is a huge project. It is incomparable to upgrading a small piece of equipment.¡± ¡°Then explain why a wooden city requires 20,000 points?¡± ¡°Although the wooden city doesn¡¯t sound firm, it can withstand the attacks of hundreds of monsters after being created by the system. It¡¯s definitely worth the price.¡± The system explained. ¡°Furthermore, the host needs to know that the system requires energy to help the host create a city.¡± Hearing the system¡¯s explanation, Lorne¡¯s uneasy heart calmed down. ¡°System, help me see how many points I can exchange for the crystal cores I obtained this time?¡± Lorne understood that it was unrealistic to bargain with the system. Therefore, he asked the system about his immediate problem, the points for the crystal cores. ¡°Host, you can exchange for a total of 100,000 points for the crystal cores. Do you want to exchange?¡± The system scanned all the crystal cores that Lorne had collected this time and said to him. ¡°What? 100,000 points? Exchange immediately.¡± Lorne immediately lost his calm when he heard the huge number of 100,000. Although he had obtained many crystal cores, he did not count them carefully. He did not expect to exchange them for so many points. As Lorne confirmed the exchange, the crystal cores that filled the bag disappeared. Lorne could see that his points balance on the shop interface had become six digits. ¡°System, exchange for the blueprint of the Steel City immediately.¡± With money, his back instantly became straight. Lorne generously exchanged for the blueprint of the Steel City worth 50,000 points. ¡°The blueprint has been exchanged. As long as you gather enough iron ores, you can build the steel city.¡± After Lorne finished buying the blueprint, the system told him the amount of iron ores needed to build the city. ¡°System, are you asking me to dig up all the iron ores by myself? Then I have to dig until I¡¯m 50 years old.¡± Lorne looked at the huge number on the screen and had a mental breakdown. ¡°The host can buy mining robots. This way, you can quickly and efficiently collect iron ores. You can also collect various metal resources.¡± The system gave a solution. ¡°How many points does this mining robot need?¡± Lorne asked the system through gritted teeth. He felt as if he had fallen into a trap set by the system. The goal was to drain all the points in his pocket. ¡°A mining robot costs 10,000 points,¡± the system¡¯s mechanical voice sounded in Lorne¡¯s mind. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just rob me? Do you know how hard it is for me to get some points?¡± When Lorne heard that the mining robot actually needed 10,000 points, he started cursing at the system. ¡°Host, please calm down. This kind of mining robot naturally has its value. It only needs two days to finish mining all the iron ores needed to build the Steel City.¡± ¡°This kind of mining robot has its own special storage space. It can store almost all the mining materials, so the host doesn¡¯t need to carry them by himself. All you need to do is set a number. After gathering them, it will return to the host.¡± The system explained the advantages of this mining robot to Lorne. After hearing the explanation, Lorne suddenly felt that this mining robot was worth it. After all, the amount of materials required by the system was too high. This robot could mine enough materials in two days. Wasn¡¯t that too efficient? ¡°Can it be a little cheaper?¡± In fact, Lorne was already planning to buy this robot, but he still wanted to bargain with the system to see if he could save some points.